The sting of an unexpected first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to McNeese is still fresh for Clemson fans. But not for Brad Brownell. By the next morning, the Tigers’ coach was back to work.
“You can’t get caught up in what’s already happened,” Brownell told Hoops HQ. “The way things stand now, you have to move on quickly.”
Brownell’s timeline was particularly urgent considering the nature of his rebuild. All but three members of his 2024-25 team are either out of eligibility or entered the transfer portal. Two of the potential transfers redshirted last season. This stands in stark contrast to the past two seasons, in which Brownell used the portal to strategically fill gaps around core groups that went to the Elite Eight in 2024 and set a school record with 18 ACC wins in 2025.
Brownell has notched some early successes with the additions of shooting guard Efrem “Butta” Johnson from UAB and forwards Jake Wahlin from Utah and RJ Godfrey from Georgia. He also added bigs Carter Welling from Utah Valley and Nick Davidson from Nevada.
The five transfers are the most Brownell has signed in a single cycle. And with at least one, maybe two more scholarships available, he isn’t finished shopping. Brownell is pleased with the early results, but it is a much more challenging task than the ones he faced the past two springs.
“Strategically, it was a little easier for us to know exactly what we were looking for because we were able to go right to a certain couple of guys,” Brownell said. “We were looking for guys to play off someone else. With Joe Girard and Jaeden Zackery, we knew we were pairing them with Chase Hunter and with Viktor Lahkin, pairing him with Ian Scheifflein. Now it’s different because we have more, greater needs. You have to cast a wider net, because you don’t know where it’s going to land.”
Brownell does, at least, have the luxury of being able to build around veteran point guard Dillon Hunter, Chase’s younger brother and a backup for the past three seasons. With Ace Buckner also ready to return after missing his true freshman season because of shoulder surgery, and with four-star freshman Zac Foster on his way, the immediate focus of Brownell’s transfer plan was replenishing Clemson’s inside game.
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“Knowing that there are fewer 6-10 kids in the portal, that’s where we decided we’d better start,” Brownell said. “Our staff did a good job of finding some guys who fit how we play and what we think our needs are.”
Having all the new pieces to fit on the court is challenging enough. Getting them to build a winning chemistry is even tougher. Brownell and his staff succeeded at both during the past two seasons with Girard and Jack Clark in 2023-24. The duo of Zakery and Lahkin assimilated smoothly last season.
Brownell acknowledged that getting his roster to blend will be a greater challenge given that it will include so many new players. “You’re really working hard as a coaching staff to let these kids know ahead of time what their roles and what the expectations are going to be so that they come in with eyes wide open,” he said. “You’re also looking for kids, character-wise who fit your culture and blend with the kids that are already in the program. This year is different, though, because we don’t have many returners.”
Godfrey is already familiar with the surroundings and the culture. He spent his first two seasons at Clemson before leaving for Georgia, where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 2024-25. His return could help him become a unifier in the locker room.
“I love RJ. I always have. I told him that when he left,” Brownell said. “I think he has an even greater appreciation for our program, having been gone for a year. There’s an extremely high value in the positivity and the love of Clemson he’ll bring to every workout and every practice.”
Brownell and director of recruiting Lucas McKay are deciding how they want to fill the two remaining scholarships within the confines of their NIL budget. “We’re just kind of sitting back taking a deep breath for a second trying to analyze what we have and what our needs are moving forward,” he said. “Then financially, how can we make it work? There are more factors that go into it now than there were before.”
