All it took was one year for Jaeden Zackery to become a Clemson basketball fan favorite.
The Boston College transfer posted career-highs in points and rebounds and shot over 45 percent from the floor and 36 percent from deep. He did everything he was expected to do and fans quickly fell in love with his style of play.
Unfortunately, Zackery's Clemson career ended earlier than he would've liked as the Tigers were bounced in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Following the loss, Zackery said that he was going to try and find a fifth year of eligibility and that he would love to come back to Clemson. Fans loved the idea and that's been on the list of offseason possibilities for a few weeks now.
Rumors are swirling, however, that Zackery is "very unlikely" to return to Clemson.
Jaeden Zackery’s return to Clemson has now been deemed “very unlikely,” per source.
— Clemson GRIT-alytics (@GRIT_alytics) April 11, 2025
Guards in the portal will be extremely significant to Clemson’s success next year.
While I'm still working to find out how legitimate this rumor is, it's definitely something to monitor as Brad Brownell continues to fill out the roster after losing eight players this offseason. He has already added three bigs (RJ Godfrey may be more of a small forward/wing) and if Zackery is unlikely to return, he needs to target strictly guards.
Returning is Dillon Hunter and coming in with the 2025 class is Zac Foster but having just a couple of guys in the backcourt is less than ideal, especially with Del Jones moving on.
There are a couple of roster spots still open and I'd be willing to bet they'll be spent on some transfer guards to complement the impressive bigs.
Clemson is going to address the guard situation in the portal.