Clemson football transfer tracker: Who’s leaving the Tigers for the portal?
The NCAA transfer portal opens next Monday, but players are already starting to declare their intent to enter as transaction season heats up.
Clemson, as per usual, is part of the turbulence.
Here’s a running list of every Tigers player confirmed to be entering the portal after Clemson’s 8-4 regular season that ended on a four-game winning streak and ahead of the Dec. 29 Gator Bowl against Kentucky.
DE David Ojiegbe
Entry date: Dec. 5
Ojiegbe is leaving Clemson after one seasons, per multiple reports. He’s a promising young defensive end who coach Dabo Swinney once described as having an NFL-ready body, but he redshirted in 2023 and only played 11 snaps in two games. Outside of being buried on the depth chart, Ojiegbe’s primary recruiter/position coach, Lemanski Hall, is no longer on staff. The former four-star recruit is the first true freshman to leave Clemson this cycle.
S Andrew Mukuba
Entry date: Dec. 5
Mukuba, a three-year starter at safety, is entering the portal, according to multiple reports. The former ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year has been a mainstay in the Tigers’ defensive backfield and played all over the field, including at safety, cornerback and nickelback. But he’ll be spending the rest of his college career elsewhere. Although Clemson has a number of promising young defensive back, Mukuba’s 35 games and 31 starts will still be missed. He’s the second starter to for the portal this cycle, joining wide receiver Beaux Collins.
RB Domonique Thomas
Entry date: Dec. 4
Thomas is in the portal with three years of eligibility remaining, he announced Monday. The former walk-on from NAIA Union College in Kentucky has been on scholarship each of the past two seasons and worked as the No. 3 running back behind Will Shipley and Phil Mafah in 2023. Known as “Quadzilla” for his muscular legs, Thomas will be looking for more opportunities after carrying the ball 18 times this year. He did average 6.4 yards per carry on his limited touches.
CB Toriano Pride Jr.
Entry date: Nov. 30
Pride announced his intent to enter the transfer portal after seeing his playing time dwindle in a deep defensive backs room. The former top 100 recruit from St. Louis had 333 defensive snaps in 14 games last year (two starts) but only 145 snaps in 12 games this season. Pride’s participation dropped as true freshmen cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Shelton Lewis starred late in the year. He was the No. 8 cornerback in the Class of 2022.
TE Sage Ennis
Entry date: Nov. 30
Ennis is in the portal as a graduate transfer, according to multiple reports. The redshirt junior spent four years at Clemson and was working as the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart behind Jake Briningstool until he suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month. Ennis, primarily known for his blocking, caught six career passes for 77 yards in 41 games (two starts). Clemson has two young talents at tight end in Josh Sapp and Olsen Patt-Henry.
WR Beaux Collins
Entry date: Nov. 30
Collins, a junior, intends to enter the transfer portal next week, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The Los Angeles native has been a consistent starter at outside receiver over the past three seasons for Clemson and was second on the team this year with 510 receiving yards, which was also a career high. He finishes his career with 91 catches for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 32 games (27 starts). Collins’ transfer could be a nod toward the talent Clemson has coming in at receiver next year, specifically five-star recruit Bryant Wesco and four-star TJ Moore.
OL Mitchell Mayes
Entry date: Nov. 29
Mayes is entering the portal after four years as a rotational offensive lineman for Clemson. He started nine games over the past two seasons at a combination of left guard (in place of the injured Marcus Tate) and right guard after joining the team as a four-star recruit in 2020. Mayes fell out of the Tigers’ rotation down the stretch this year and was listed as the No. 2 right tackle on the team’s most recent depth chart.
QB Hunter Helms
Entry date: Nov. 28
Helms spent four seasons at Clemson as a and was the team’s No. 2 option behind Cade Klubnik during the 2023 season. He’s entering the portal a few days early as a graduate transfer and will be seeking more playing time at his new school. Helms had scholarship offers from schools including South Florida and Troy before choosing to walk on at Clemson in 2020.
What is the transfer portal?
The current state of college football is a world beyond previous rules, in which non-graduate transfers had to sit out a full season outside of special circumstances.
Now, players hoping for a better fit or more playing time simply request that their compliance department enter their name in the transfer portal, and it’s done in 48 hours — if not much sooner. Once players are in the online database, which NCAA debuted in October 2018 to simplify a process becoming more and more popular in the sport, they’re free to be contacted by any interested programs.
Players have been entering the transfer portal at a record level ever since the NCAA eliminated a rule that required non-graduates to sit out a season at their new program in April 2021. Every player now has a one-time waiver to transfer to a new school without penalty, which has created a college football “free agency” of sorts.
The NCAA has cracked down on mid-season transfers, though, by approving a new “transfer window” system. Under new guidelines released in October, college football players can only formally enter the portal in a 30-day window from Dec. 4., 2023, to Jan. 3, 2024. That’s down from a 45-day window last season.
There’s also an additional five-day window after a team’s postseason game and a 15-day window in the spring (May 1-15).
Clemson had 13 transfers last season (including one preferred walk-on), and 11 ended up at other Power Five schools. During the 2021 portal cycle, Clemson had 11 transfers (six to Power Five schools).
Clemson football 2023 transfers
- QB Hunter Helms, Nov. 28
- OL Mitchell Mayes, Nov. 29
- WR Beaux Collins, Nov. 30
- TE Sage Ennis, Nov. 30
- CB Toriano Pride Jr., Nov. 30
- RB Domonique Thomas, Dec. 4
- S Andrew Mukuba, Dec. 5
- DE David Ojiegbe, Dec. 5
This story was originally published November 29, 2023 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Clemson football transfer tracker: Who’s leaving the Tigers for the portal?."
