Clemson men's basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: projected starting lineup, impact players and rotation explored
The Clemson Tigers are starting fresh in the 2025-26 NCAA season. Only three players remain from the Tigers team that finished with a 27-7 record in the previous campaign, including senior guard Dillon Hunter.
There's optimism among Clemson fans, as the Tigers have added several players through the transfer portal and assembled a talented freshman class for their roster.
Let's get into Clemson's outlook for the upcoming season.
Clemson season review
Several players have departed the Tigers after the 2024-25 season. Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, Myles Foster, Viktor Lakhin, Matt Kelly, Andrew Latiff and Daniel Nauseef used up their eligibility in the previous campaign.
Jaeden Zackery, Asa Thomas, Del Jones, Chauncey Wiggins and Jake Heidbreder also exited through the transfer portal. Coach Brad Brownell secured the commitments of Jestin Porter, Nick Davidson, RJ Godfrey, Carter Welling, Efrem Johnson and Jake Wahlin.
Starters
Guard: Jestin Porter
Jestin Porter dazzled in his senior season for Middle Tennessee, averaging a career-best 15.0 points through 34 games. He led the Blue Raiders in scoring, shooting 41.1% from the field, including 36.4% from beyond the arc.
Porter also knocked down 82.2% of his attempts from the charity stripe. He played three seasons with Middle Tennessee before transferring to Clemson.
Guard: Dillon Hunter
Dillon Hunter made an impact as a starter for the Tigers in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season. They had a perfect 8-0 slate during the games when he started alongside Jaeden Zackery, Chase Hunter, Viktor Lakhin and Ian Schieffelin.
Unfortunately, Hunter fractured his hand in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament against SMU and was ruled out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers struggled in the Big Dance without Hunter, who averaged 5.4 points, 2.5 boards and 1.9 dimes through 30 games last season. Clemson lost 69-67 to No. 12 seed McNeese State in the first round of this year's March Madness.
Forward: Nick Davidson
Nick Davidson joined Clemson after spending three seasons with Nevada. He impressed in the 2024-25 campaign, posting career-best numbers in scoring and assists. He averaged 15.8 points, 6.5 boards and 2.8 dimes through 33 games in his junior year.
Davidson also displayed defensive prowess, averaging 1.2 blocks per contest to lead all Nevada players. His terrific two-play attracted the attention of Brownell, who convinced him to use his final year of eligibility with the Tigers.
Forward: Jake Wahlin
Jake Wahlin's career took off during his sophomore season with Utah. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.9 boards and 1.5 dimes through 33 games in the 2024-25 campaign. That's a significant increase compared to his freshman season, where he averaged just 0.7 points per contest.
Wahlin, who made 23 starts in his final year with Utah, is expected to be a key player for coach Brad Brownell this coming season.
Center: Carter Welling
Carter Welling delivered for the Utah Valley Wolverines in the 2024-25 season, racking up career-best numbers in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and steals. He averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 boards, 1.8 blocks, 1.4 dimes and 0.6 steals through 32 games in his sophomore year.
Welling, who previously played for UC Irvine in the 2023-24 season, entered the transfer portal for the second time and joined Clemson to bolster the Tigers' frontcourt.
Rotation Players
Ace Buckner and Dallas Thomas return to the Tigers next season, providing much-needed depth to Brownell's lineup. Transferees RJ Godfrey and Efrem Johnson are also expected to deliver off the bench for Clemson.
Coach Brownell also has incoming freshmen Zac Foster, Trent Steinour, Blake Davidson and Chase Thompson in his lineup for the 2025-26 campaign.
Impact Players
Brad Brownell will rely on the players he got through the transfer portal this offseason. Jestin Porter, Carter Welling and Nick Davidson have already shown their offensive prowess in their previous NCAA stints. They are expected to lead the Tigers' attack in the 2025-26 season.
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