5 days Ago
The Clemson Tigers have added another potential frontcourt star through the transfer portal, per a report on Monday evening. The Tigers have landed former Utah forward Jake Wahlin, per On3sports . His commitment comes a day after Clemson received a commitment from UAB guard Butta Johnson.
Wahlin went into the portal after the dismissal of Utes coach Craig Smith. He was replaced by Alex Jensen, a program legend as a player but is embarking on his first college head-coaching job. Wahlin is a Provo, Utah, native who has members of his family who went to BYU and members of his extended family who went to Utah.
The former McDonald’s All-American nominee joined the Utes and served as a key reserve off the bench during his 2023-24 freshman season. The Utes reached the NIT Final Four. As a sophomore he started 23 of the 33 games he played and averaged 23.
5 minutes, 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-10 Wahlin should give the Tigers length inside, whether in the starting lineup or off the bench. Per Jon Blau at the Courier-Times , Wahlin is the third 6-foot-10 forward Clemson has landed this cycle and coach Brad Brownell has two remaining scholarships. Johnson, a three-year standout at guard for the Blazers, averaged 8.
8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 37 games (21 starts). He also had 68 assists and 31 steals.
He finished fifth on the team in scoring and averaged nearly 27 minutes per game. The pair are just the latest transfers to commit to joining the Tigers for next season. Other players to commit to transferring to Clemson earlier this cycle included junior forward Nick Davidson, formerly at Nevada; junior forward R.
J. Godfrey, formerly at Georgia; and forward Carter Welling, formerly at Utah Valley. Godfrey started his college career at Clemson before he transferred to Georgia.
Clemson has only a few holdover players — guard Dillon Hunter, forward Dallas Thomas and guard Ace Buckner. The Tigers also expect their three signees to join the program — guard Zac Foster (Atlanta, Ga./Woodward Academy), forward Chase Thompson (Glenwood, Minn.
/Alexandria Area) and forward/center Trent Steinour (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman).
Clemson (27-7) is coming off a 69-67 loss to the McNeese State Cowboys in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a disappointing early exit for a program coming off a trip to the Elite Eight last season. Clemson coach Brad Brownell is the winningest coach in Tigers history and has more than 450 career wins. His program is picking steam.
He has taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five seasons. Clemson has also had three straight 20-win seasons, a first for Brownell in his 15 seasons. He’s had seven 20-win seasons during his tenure.
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