A key Tiger forward enters the transfer portal, signaling significant changes for Clemson's basketball program after a successful tournament run.
Clemson is set to lose one member of its men's basketball team before the transfer portal opens up on April 7.
The Tigers are coming off of a strong 2025-26 campaign. Clemson made the NCAA Tournament for a third season in a row.
No. 8 seed Clemson fought hard, but ultimately fell 67-61 to No. 9 seed Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last week. In hindsight, that loss doesn't look too bad with the Hawkeyes reaching the Elite Eight.
On Friday, Jake Wahlin announced on his social media that he intends to hit the transfer portal this spring. He's appreciative of the time he had at Clemson and thanked the program for its support.
"I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to Clemson University and the incredible fans for welcoming me with so much love," Wahlin wrote. "After a year in Tiger Town, I've built many deep and meaningful relationships I'll forever be thankful for.
"I'm thankful for the coaching staff and entire community for the opportunity to be apart of an incredible culture. To my teammates, thank you for an incredible year."
Wahlin spent two seasons at Utah before transferring to Clemson before the 2025-26 campaign. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game for the Tigers in 35 games played.
He started 29 games and played an average of 20.5 minutes per game.
Earlier in March, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell told reporters that is was a challenge to build a competitive program with NIL and the transfer portal.
"In this climate right now, this is still possible," Brownell said. "The value that you get by having those kinds of kids can surprise some people in terms of success on the court.
"It doesn't surprise me because it's what we've always tried to do at Clemson. It just reminds us all even though there's a lot of things we don't like about what's going on in college athletics, you can still do things the right way and be successful."
Wahlin was a key forward for Clemson. Brownell will now need to find depth at the position as the team loses a starter before the transfer portal.
Clemson had a good run with last year's squad, but it appears that the 2026-27 team could look much different than the one that made the NCAA Tournament this spring.