2024-25 Season
27-7 (18-2 ACC -2nd) – NCAA Tournament #5 seed – First Round Loss
Head Coach – Brad Brownell
Seasons at Clemson: Entering 16th season
Clemson Record: 292 – 196
Career Record: 459-281
Regular Season Conference Championships: 3 (UNC Wilmington 2, Wright St. 1)
Conference Tournament Championships: 3 (UNC Wilmington 2, Wright St. 1)
NCAA Appearances: 8
Final 4 Appearances: 0
2024-25 Season: 27-7 (18-2 ACC -2nd) – NCAA Tournament #5 seed – First Round Loss
Personnel
Losses From 2024-’25
Returning Players from 2024-’25
Portal Additions
2025 Recruiting
Class
Welcome to the 2025-2026 Basketball Season!
As you may have noticed over the last several weeks, Clemson is now a basketball school until further notice. I know it’s going to come as a shock to most of you, but fear not, as a lifelong Purdue fan, I’m here to guide you through the experience.
If you’re trying out Clemson basketball for the first time, returning for the first time since the Oliver Purnell era, or have been down with Brown(L) since the Rod Hall and K.J. McDaniels days, welcome! The good news is that everyone is starting at the same place! As you may have noticed from the long list of departures and equally long list of additions…this is essentially, and functionally, a brand-new team. I gave you the stats above, but let’s take a closer look at the roster.
Starting Locks
I can’t say many things with certainty about this Clemson team, but these guys are a lock for the starting lineup.
Point Guad – Dillon Hunter
Hunter’s the old head on the roster now. He was a crucial part of the Clemson guard rotation last season, and his absence (due to an injury in the ACC Tournament) was felt in the Tigers’ opening round loss. He’s a solid defender and an elite decision maker on offense. This season, he’ll be asked to step up and be the lead guard for the Tigers.
Coach Brownell clearly has faith in his ability because he didn’t go out and get another point guard in the portal.
Power Forward / Center – Nick Davidson
Davidson is the cream of Clemson’s considerable transfer portal crop. The versatile big man led Nevada in multiple offensive categories last season, and he should do the same in Tiger Town. The big man may look like an aspiring accountant, but he could be one of the best players in the ACC this season.
He’ll be the lynchpin of Clemson’s pick-and-roll / pick-and-pop offense this season. Dillon Hunter may be the point guard, but in the half-court, Davidson will be the ultimate decision maker. He shot 37% from three last season on 124 attempts and will start most possessions on the perimeter. When he gets his feet set, he’s deadly. He has some shot blocking ability on defense and does a solid job of cleaning the defensive glass. No one is going to confuse him for a lockdown defender, but he’s going to do his job.
If Clemson has a first-team All-ACC player on the roster, it’s Davidson.
Possible Starters
Versatility and depth are the strengths of this Clemson team. If everyone settles into their role, Coach Brownell could regularly play 10-11 guys this season. I know Hunter and Davidson will start; here are the options at the other positions.
Center (If Davidson plays forward): Carter Welling
Welling came off the bench for the Tigers in the scrimmage, but he’s also been working his way through a tender foot. He put in a solid 20-minute shift against Presbyterian and looks like he’s physically ready for the start of the season. When he’s right, he’s a freakish athlete. At some point this season, Welling will get on the end of a lob pass that looks like it’s destined for the first row. He uses those ups on the defensive side of the ball, where his block percentage of 7% was 71st in the nation last season. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he led Clemson in rebounds off the bench in the scrimmage with eight.
Don’t pigeonhole him as only an “athlete” though. He shot 35% from 3 on 85 attempts last season and drew 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes, good for 56th in the country.
Personally, I think he ends up as a starter. I’m sure he’ll end up as a fan favorite.
Power Forward (If Davidson plays center): RJ Godfrey
The Tigers return to God’s country after a season-long sojourn to UGA. Things didn’t shake out the way he wanted in Athens, and Coach Brownell welcomed the burly forward back into the fold. RJ’s fit, over everything else, has been the stumbling block during his college career. At 6’7”, he’s best suited on the wing, but his game is pure power. Interestingly enough, I love his fit on this roster.
Davidson’s ability to step out should allow RJ to isolate on the block. That’s where he’s at his best. If the other team wants to play a skinny stretch 4, Godfrey will use him as a toothpick on offense. He needs to play with another floor spacing big, and that’s exactly what Clemson has in Davidson.
I think RJ is either the starting power forward or the first front-court player off the bench for the Tigers. He banged up his ankle in the scrimmage, so his playing time in the opener may be limited.
Wing: Jake Wahlin/Zach Foster/Butta Johnson
Wahlin started in the scrimmage and gives Clemson an absurdly large front court when he plays on the wing. At 6’10”, 210, the Utah transfer can either play on the wing or provide Clemson depth in the post. He’s a solid shooter, hitting 35% of his 77 attempts from deep last season, and blocks a fair number of shots on defense. He’s a matchup nightmare for a team playing three guards because of his ability to play inside-out. He also provides rim protection for the Tigers and will swat a few into the crowd as a help defender.
Davidson is a potential First Team All-ACC player, but for my money, Foster has the most NBA potential on the squad. There were some questions about the top-100 recruit out of Atlanta’s weight, after he played around 165 pounds in high school, but a summer in the Clemson weight room and training table has worked wonders. He’s listed at 6’4”, 190 pounds, and that’s plenty big enough to play on the wing. He’s a smooth operator who knows where he wants to go on offense and knows how to get there. His ability to defend will be his limiting factor. I expect him to start the season on the bench, but his talent may be too intriguing to keep him on the bench.
Butta Johnson is the other possible starter on the wing if Clemson plays three guards. Johnson won’t hesitate to let it go from deep. He led the Blazers in three-point attempts last season with 145, but he only connected on 32%. Clemson would prefer the 2023-‘24 version of Johnson, who hit 36%. It’s possible that reducing the quantity of three’s he takes will improve the quality. His ability to handle the ball and hit free throws should be an asset down the stretch of games.
Shooting Guard: Jestin Porter / Zac Foster / Butta Johnson
Porter started the scrimmage and led the team in scoring with 15 on 6-10 shooting (3-6 from 3). Brad brought him to Clemson to score, and ff that’s the sort of game Clemson is going to get from Porter, go ahead and use the sharpie to put the Middle Tennessee transfer in the starting lineup.
There is some question about Dillon Hunter’s willingness to score, but next to Porter, it won’t matter; no one will question Jestin’s desire to score. He hit 35% of his 216 attempts from deep last season and hit 46% of his 194 attempts from two. At 6’1”, 180, the main question about Porter is his ability to defend, but Hunter should help with that as well. Dillon can defend wings, which should allow Porter to defend the opposing point guard when they’re on the floor together.
As long as Porter is hitting his shots and isn’t a complete disaster on defense, he’ll be the starter; otherwise, either Foster or Johnson could play here as well.
Everyone Else
Forward – Chase Thompson
Thompson is a fringe four-star freshman out of Minnesota. His recruitment came down to Clemson and Iowa, which makes sense because he looks like a prototypical Iowa stretch forward. Brad hasn’t had to rely on freshman recently, but Thompson played 20 minutes in the scrimmage, scored eight points, and led the team in assists with three. At 6’8”, 220 pounds, he can play on the wing or in the post. As with most freshmen, playing team defense and competing on the boards will be the question. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thompson ends up as a three-year starter for the Tigers.
Guard – Ace Buckner
Ace took a redshirt last season while dealing with a shoulder injury (and a lack of backcourt minutes available) but is another combo guard capable of giving the Tigers extra shooting and ball handling when healthy. It may take him some time to get back into the flow, but he could be a helpful piece off the bench, especially against teams that like to pressure.
Wing – Dallas Thomas
Chauncey Wiggins transferred to Florida State, but if you thought the Tigers were out of impossibly skinny 6’9”, 180-pound wings, you would be wrong. Thomas took a redshirt last season as well, but in terms of long-term upside, the former top-100, 4-star recruit out of Arkansas is the other potential NBA player on this roster. The good news is that, unlike Chauncey, Dallas can also rebound and dribble. He’s the wildcard on this roster, and still might be a year away from making an impact, but the talent is undeniable.
Forward/Center – Trent Steinour
The grandson of former Clemson star Randy Mahaffey should have a nice view from the bench this season. He didn’t play in the scrimmage and is a year away from making a contribution. He’s an athletic big man who can play inside / out.
Overall
I told Ryan I would have this out by 4 PM, but I underestimated how long it would take me to work through the entire roster. The good news is that I don’t have much to add in this section, because your guess on how Clemson is going to play this season is as good as mine.
I’ll have more to talk about after tonight’s game.
