Clemson football: LB Mike Jones Jr. shockingly enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Clemson football suffers first big loss to NCAA Transfer Portal

Clemson football fans received a bit of a shock Monday afternoon when it was reported that starting linebacker Mike Jones Jr. was entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The State’s Matt Connolly reported Monday that Jones Jr.- a former 4-star recruit- would be entering the transfer portal. He will be listed as a graduate-transfer, meaning he is eligible to play immediately, according to reports at Tigernet.

Before Jones Jr.’s decision, the 2021 Clemson football team was set to return all 11 starters from last year. Now, the Tigers will rely on second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson (a 5-star) to likely fill that void.

Jones Jr. was the starter at that SAM position, but did see his snaps decrease as the 2020 season progressed and we saw more Simpson, as well as freshman DB Malcolm Greene– who played a lot of nickel- on the field.

There’s still plenty of talent for that Clemson football defense, but Jones Jr. was a leader, no doubt

Jones Jr. likely saw the emergence of Trenton Simpson and knew that- at best- he’d be splitting time on a pretty regular basis moving forward.

That being said, there’s no doubt that this is still a major loss. He brought leadership and was a guy who had been in the system and learned under Brent Venables for several years.

The Tigers will undoubtedly miss him as he moves forward, but we wish Mike Jones Jr. nothing but the best as he continues to pursue that dream of playing professional and perhaps he’ll find a home where he is able to garner more playing time and showcase his abilities.

In addition to playing Simpson and Greene (nickel) next season, Tiger fans should expect to see a healthy dose of incoming 5-star Barrett Carter.