The Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t finish the season as they had hoped. After barely making the College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed, they were defeated 38-24 by the No. 5 Texas Longhorns.
Now, it’s time to focus on the future, which for many teams includes utilizing the transfer portal. However, Swinney and Clemson will now need to replace a key player after sophomore defensive end A.J. Hoffler announced his decision to transfer.
Hoffler, who has played in the past two seasons, recorded 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pass deflection. He was a highly-ranked recruit, rated as the No. 37 EDGE and No. 312 player in the 2023 class, with offers from schools like Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Penn State, and Ole Miss.
Despite this loss, Clemson’s sting is somewhat eased by the addition of their first defensive transfer recruit under Swinney, Will Heldt, who was ranked the No. 9 EDGE in the transfer portal by 247Sports.
