Dabo Swinney had a tough decision to make last week and the Clemson football coach had to let one of his bright young stars go as Marquise Henderson was dismissed from the team.
Henderson was one of Dabo's earliest commits in the 2025 class, committing to Clemson back in December of 2023 and signing a year later only to enroll early in January. It felt like he was on track to becoming a home-state hero but the Honea Path, S.C., product found himself in hot water recently.
This led to Swinney dismissing Henderson from the program without a specific reason, but rumors have circulated and everyone wants to have their own opinion on the reason for dismissal.
Whatever it was, it was Dabo's choice ultimately and whatever Henderson did apparently didn't line up with the culture at Clemson and if you know anything about Swinney, he values culture, faith, and family above all else. So you could just assume he didn't uphold at least one of those values.
There was a rumor that he was going to enter the transfer portal shortly after being dismissed and he made that official over the weekend.
Officially in the portal!! @AdamSchefter @CoachLomax22 @rblackstonbhp @CoachBallenger pic.twitter.com/MwgfoaK3os
— Marquise Henderson (@quisehenderson) June 20, 2025
Henderson was one of the top prospects in the 2026 class, ranked the No. 183 overall recruit and 14th-best running back, according to the 247Sports Composite. He could've pushed for early playing time, but his slight frame was expected to be a reason that he needed more time to grow.
Fortunately, Clemson is in good hands with some talented, yet unproven, running backs leading the way, but losing Henderson still hurts.
The former top-200 recruit held 14 offers out of high school.