With a record nine Tigers set to participate in the upcoming NFL Combine, Clemson is experiencing a mass exodus of talent.
Star players Ben Boulware, Wayne Gallman, Jadar Johnson, Jordan Leggett, Artavis Scott, Cordrea Tankersley, Carlos Watkins, Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams are all taking their talents to the NFL, in addition to several other key players who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
Adding to the large-scale departures are the recent decisions of a few notable Clemson players to transfer from the program, as cornerback Adrian Baker, running back Tyshon Dye and defensive tackle Scott Pagano have chosen to play the remainder of their college careers elsewhere.
Baker is a unique transfer in the fact that an injury led to him falling out of favor on the Clemson depth chart. Primed to start for the Tigers opposite Tankersley, Baker’s torn ACL suffered in spring ball cost him the entire 2016 season. With multiple young corners poised to take on bigger roles this coming season, Baker clearly felt like his services could be best used elsewhere and opted to transfer.
Dye was a major recruit out of high school and was actually more hyped coming into Clemson than Gallman. However, a serious back injury and an inability to earn a major role in the offense over the course of the past three seasons led to Dye transferring.
Pagano, the most recent Tiger to choose to transfer out of the program, is a highly talented defensive lineman but lost his starting spot last season due to the ascension of star freshman defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Pagano, like Dye, is a graduate transfer, who will be eligible to play immediately and should make a major impact.
All three transfers are talented players who will be missed, but the Tigers have a stacked roster that should help fill the holes left by their departures. The three transfers will likely experience ample success with their new teams. However, their early exits, combined with the multitudinous departures of players to the NFL will make for an interesting spring for the Tigers in terms of position battles.
