The end of the season means many players across college football will be entering the transfer portal. Clemson Football is no exception.
There are reports that a total of eight Tigers have elected to enter the portal following Clemson‘s 39-10 victory over North Carolina in the ACC Championship.
The highest profile of these players is quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who started the last 26 games for Clemson.
Uiagalelei was benched in favor of Cade Klubnik in the first quarter against the Tar Heels. It has long been suspected that this would be his last season with the Tigers.
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.@TIinClemsonhttps://t.co/A1HZzV8wQN
— Russ Wood (@RussHoops) December 5, 2022
At one point, DJ appeared on a trajectory to enter the NFL draft, but inconsistent play plagued him through the back half of the 2022 season.
We should note that DJ has not independently confirmed the reports that he is transferring.
Veteran wide receiver EJ Williams has also entered the portal.
— E.J. Williams (@_ejda1) December 5, 2022
Like Uiagalelei, Williams was once considered a rising star for the Tigers, with several big catches against Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC Championship. Since then he has dealt with numerous injuries that have prevented him from fully developing. He found himself buried on the depth chart by the end of the season.
Running back Kobe Pace entered the portal on Monday morning.
Kobe Pace in transfer portal ... Clemson recruiting two backs down the stretch this cycle
— Anna Adams (@AnnaH247) December 5, 2022
Pace had a productive 2021 season, but like Williams, injuries derailed his 2022 season. Phil Mafah moved past him on the depth chart, and now Pace will be moving on.
While Uiagalelei and Klubnik received almost all the playing time at quarterback, reserve Billy Wiles spent the last two seasons learning on the sidelines. Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, he has elected to transfer.
— Billy Wiles (@billywiles8) December 4, 2022
On the defensive side, cornerback Fred Davis has decided to transfer as well.
🚨BREAKING🚨Clemson CB Fred Davis II announced his intention, via social media, to enter the transfer portal.
— On3 (@On3sports) December 4, 2022
More: https://t.co/zDBVF5F0Fa pic.twitter.com/8ZAr8e6gHk
Davis was expected to get much more playing time this season with the departures of Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich after the 2021 season. He was named a co-starter before the season opener, but erratic play saw him benched in favor of younger talent. He saw mostly spot duty for the remainder of the schedule.
Monday morning, defensive lineman Kevin Swint posted this on Twitter.
— KevinSwint (@kevinswint1) December 5, 2022
It doesn’t specifically say he is entering the portal, but he did reply to his own post and tagged the 247Sports Transfer Portal Twitter account, so it does seem likely that he is expressing his intent to transfer.
Clemson Football players who wish to transfer can officially enter the portal starting today
These six players join wide receiver Dacari Collins and linebacker Sergio Allen, who were reported to be entering the portal earlier in the season. The NCAA has put official windows in place that prevent most players from entering the portal during the season.
The window officially opens today. It will remain open for the next 45 days.
We probably haven’t seen the last Clemson player to hit the portal following the 2022 season. The window will remain open until mid-January. While I have seen a few names thrown around as potential transfer candidates, it is all speculative until the player confirms they are leaving or they are listed in the portal.