The Clemson Tigers have nabbed a former Big Ten defender in the transfer portal.
The Clemson Tigers are definitely being more aggressive in the transfer portal than they have been in previous years, and they seem to be making a serious push to upgrade their secondary.
Clemson is pursuing multiple top safeties in the portal, and on Monday, it struck a deal to land former Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Elliot Washington II, via Hayes Fawcett of On 3.
Washington began his collegiate career at Penn State in 2023 but barely received any playing time his first season. He then logged 26 tackles, an interception and six passes defended in Year 2 and posted 18 tackles, a pick and three passes defended in 2025.
Perhaps the Tigers feel there is some untapped potential with Washington, who was the 13th-ranked cornerback in the transfer portal and the 192nd-ranked player overall, via 247 Sports.
The former four-star recruit has one year of eligibility remaining.
Clemson is losing star cornerback Avieon Terrell to the NFL Draft, so it's certainly important for the Tigers to address the position this winter.
Elliot Washington II. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.Not only that, but breakout safety Ricardo Jones — who racked up six interceptions this past season — has entered the portal himself, leaving Clemson with a fairly big hole in its defensive backfield heading into 2026.
The Tigers entered 2025 with national championship aspirations, but got off to an awful 1-3 start and ended up going just 7-6, losing to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.
It marked Clemson's worst finish since going 6-7 in 2010, which was Dabo Swinney's second year at the helm.
To make matters worse, the Tigers, in addition to Terrell, are losing defensive tackles Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart, edge rusher T.J. Parker and linebacker Wade Woodaz to the NFL Draft on the defensive side of the ball.
And that's not to mention their offensive losses like quarterback Cade Klubnik, running back Adam Randall and wide receiver Antonio Williams.
Swinney definitely has his work cut out for him this offseason, and for a coach who doesn't typically utilize the transfer portal, it certainly won't be an easy ride.
We'll see if he is able to make any other significant additions in the coming weeks.