Potential transfer portal targets for Clemson |
I wrote yesterday that we have a whole new world of college football, and for the first time it appears that Clemson will be a player in bringing in transfers. Maybe.
Let me start by saying this – the Tigers can fix a lot of any roster holes with recruiting. In case you missed it, there is no longer a cap on the number of scholarships a school can award in a given year. It was 25, but that has now changed as the NCAA and schools deal with COVID years, transfers, and NIL. To me, it looks like Clemson could use help on the offensive line, at running back, at wide receiver, and at corner. So here are some potential targets: Fentrell Cypress, CB, Virginia Clemson is losing senior Sheridan Jones and transfer Fred Davis. The Tigers have Malcolm Greene (who has battled injuries), and youngsters Toriano Pride and Jeadyn Lukus on the roster, so adding someone like Cypress makes sense. During his first three seasons in Charlottesville, Cypress appeared in nine total games, including six starts. The 2022 season was a breakout season for Cypress, who started nine games, recording 39 tackles and 14 passes defended. He broke up an average of 1.44 passes per game, which led the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. Cypress ranked 11th in all of college football in Pro Football Focus' coverage grade, allowing only 18 receptions all season. Grant DuBose, WR, Charlotte I’ve had more than one coach text me about DuBose, who is one of the more productive wideouts in the portal. He would give Clemson exactly what it needs, a playmaker with experience. As a fourth-year junior during the 49ers' 2022 season, DuBose (6-3, 200) caught 63 passes for 787 yards (12.5 average) and nine touchdowns in 12 games. DuBose recorded three two-touchdown games — Aug. 27 at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 17 at Georgia State and Oct. 1 against UTEP. He tallied 62 receptions for 892 yards (14.4 average) and six touchdowns as a third-year sophomore on the 2021 campaign. Oh baby. What a catch by Grant Dubose. pic.twitter.com/tEUtKjwQtR Ali Jennings, WR, Old Dominion Jennings already has three visits set up – to Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Duke. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Jennings signed originally with West Virginia in the class of 2018 and played two seasons with the Mountaineers. He transferred to Old Dominion for the 2021 season and made his mark as a two-year starter. He was a Conference USA honorable mention pick after making 62 receptions for 1,066 yards. He was a first-team All-Sun Belt pick after the 2022 season in which he caught 54 passes for 959 yards and nine touchdowns. Ajani “AJ” Cornelius, OT Rhode Island Clemson is losing just one offensive lineman this cycle (so far) in Jordan McFadden, so I am not sure the coaches will go after a portal player. But if they do, go for the best, and that’s Cornelius. Cornelius, who is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, has received upwards of 24 scholarship offers since entering the transfer portal at the end of November, with teams like Oregon, Auburn, Florida, and Nebraska all after him, among others. Cornelius was a two-year starter at right tackle for Rhode Island, where he was a first-team all-Colonial Athletic Association performer as a sophomore this season. Rara Thomas, WR, Miss. St. Since entering the portal, Thomas already holds offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, Indiana, Miami, Arkansas, Florida State, Memphis, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Utah, Central Florida and Auburn. Thomas caught 44 passes for 626 yards and seven touchdowns for Mississippi State this season. Thomas would give the Tigers something they haven’t had in a while – a receiver in the mold of Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, and Justyn Ross – a playmaker on the outside. We’re really watching RaRa Thomas emerge into a star pic.twitter.com/8m9QiiH660 Rara Thomas just went full Moss for the MSU touchdown pic.twitter.com/KZhd8PooqS Dont’e Thornton, WR, Oregon Yes, I am going heavy on the wide receivers. There is reason – I think Cade Klubnik is going to be special and it would be great to see him with an array of weapons at his disposal. I think some of the guys on campus are going to be really good, but you can never have enough playmakers. In the season's final four games, Thornton caught nine passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. Against Utah on November 19th, Thornton turned in the best performance of his Oregon career, catching four passes for 151 yards. At Oregon, Thornton amassed 541 yards on 26 receptions and three touchdowns. Bo Nix with a DIME to Dont’e Thornton to give Oregon the lead pic.twitter.com/VTFPkHhn1M Josaiah Stewart, DE/Edge, Coastal Carolina Clemson is in desperate need of experience and talent at the defensive end spot. We are assuming that the Tigers lose KJ Henry and Myles Murphy, while the status of Justin Mascoll and Xavier Thomas are up in the air. The Tigers lost defensive end Kevin Swint to the portal earlier this week, and if everyone leaves, that leaves Greg Williams, Cade Denhoff, Zaire Patterson, and a slew of freshman to man that spot. That’s not a great option. Stewart doesn’t have elite size (6-2, 230) for an end, but he gives you speed off the edge and a motor that never stops. Stewart picked up several Freshman All-America honors in 2021 and set the single-season school record and was one shy of tying the Sun Belt conference record with 12.5 sacks, adding three forced fumbles and 43 tackles – 15.0 for loss. His sack numbers dipped in 2022 to only 3.5, but Stewart piled up a team-leading 10 stops behind the line and 36 total tackles. With two years of eligibility remaining, several prominent programs have offered, including USC, Michigan, North Carolina, LSU Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Missouri and Cincinnati to start. Dasan McCullough, Edge, Indiana See the above for why. McCullough played in 12 games as a true freshman and tallied 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. However, there is a backstory. He is the son of former Miami (OH) University standout running back Deland McCullough. The younger McCullough was originally committed to Ohio St., but joined his dad in Bloomington (the elder McCullough was the running backs coach for the Hoosiers). However, Deland was named last February as the running backs coach at Notre Dame. The true freshman from Bloomington South earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media following the 2022 season. In 12 games of action with four starts, McCullough recorded 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, three QB hurries, and three pass break-ups. McCullough was the top-ranked recruit in the 2022 Indiana recruiting class, and he is the highest ranked prospect the IU program has ever signed according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He chose the Hoosiers over offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boston College, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Utah, Washington, Fresno State, Miami (OH), North Texas, Toledo, Tulsa, UMass, Western Kentucky, Morgan State, and Western Illinois. Dasan McCullough made big plays against Idaho, showcasing his athleticism, quickness, and football IQ. Here's a compilation. So excited to watch him all season. #iufb pic.twitter.com/XYJEOW6mbb
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