When RJ Godfrey stepped up to the podium, he knew the question was coming. What if someone had told him a year ago, as he was starting his new journey at Georgia, that he'd be back wearing Clemson orange today?
"You know what, I wouldn't be surprised," Godfrey said with a smile.
Because in his heart, he knew something was off.
Godfrey, a key cog in Clemson's 2024 Elite Eight run, had transferred to Georgia. On paper, it was a success. The Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade. But from the moment he arrived in Athens, the senior forward felt a sense of "conviction" about leaving the place he truly considered home.
"After I said that first workout at Georgia, I felt some... I want to say conviction about leaving Clemson," Godfrey revealed.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
The seed for his return was planted during a simple conversation with former teammate and Clemson legend, Ian Schieffelin.
"I think Ian told me, he was like, 'Yeah, I think you can come back here whenever you want,'" Godfrey recalled.
While he stayed focused on his season with the Bulldogs, that idea never left his mind. His bond with his former teammates was too strong.
"Ian and I talked so much... when the season ended, everyone on the (Clemson) team last year already had it that I was probably coming back," Godfrey said.
The 'Mutual Love' That Sealed the Deal
But it was one crucial, marathon phone call with head coach Brad Brownell that turned the idea into a reality. It was a conversation that felt like a family reunion, with both men making up for lost time.
"He just had so many questions about the year," Godfrey said. "I mean, it seemed like he really missed me, and I missed him. And I think it was like a mutual love for each other, and that conversation was awesome... It was a good conversation with him."
The diagnosis was simple: Godfrey was "homesick, and a return to Clemson was just what the doctor ordered."
Now, he's back, but the team he returned to is radically different. After a massive offseason overhaul, Godfrey finds himself as one of the only veterans tasked with leading a new-look roster. He's embracing the role of setting the standard for a group of newcomers, using the wisdom from his Elite Eight run and his time away to guide them.
"They know that, 'Hey man, I struggled with the same thing when I was a freshman,'" Godfrey said. "And that kind of allows them just to be... okay with mistakes."
Two years after being a key role player on a championship-contending team, RJ Godfrey is back where he belongs, this time as the leader, and he's appreciating every second of it.