Not many programs in college hoops have been trending up the way Clemson basketball has over the past couple of years. The Tigers went from the Elite Eight in 2023-24 to a 27-7 season in 2024-25 that unfortunately ended far earlier than expected thanks to Will Wade and McNeese.
Still, Brad Brownell has the Tigers cooking on the hardwood.
That hasn't come without a wealth of hard work, however. The veteran head coach has had to work some magic on the recruiting trail, earning commitments via the transfer portal and at the high school level, but he's had to replace some big names over the past few years and this may have been his toughest offseason yet.
In fact, Clemson lost essentially the entire roster from the second-place ACC team in 2024-25 as Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, Viktor Lakhin, Jaeden Zackery, Chauncey Wiggins, and a handful of role players decided to move on, leaving Dillon Hunter as the main returning piece.
Brownell has bolstered the roster via the transfer portal and he also brings in some solid 2025 class guys, led by Zac Foster. There's plenty of hope for the 2025-26 season.
And while the 2026 recruiting class should be at the front of his mind, he's already shifting some of his focus toward 2027 and he's aiming for the moon.
On Sunday, Brownell offered the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class, Baba Oladotun.
Clemson basketball with an offer out to the nation's No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2027: https://t.co/5224VMEtYV
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) June 16, 2025
Oladotun already holds three dozen offers and he'll likely approaching the 50 mark before he makes a college decision, but Clemson is throwing its hat in the ring for the elite prospect from Maryland.
On all services, Oladotun is the No. 1 recruit in America.
The five-star small forward has offers from the likes of Arkansas, BYU, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Villanova, and Virginia and he's going to have a tough decision to make whether he wants to go the college route or some sort of pre-NBA professional avenue.
Brownell is hoping to strike gold here.