Clemson football linked to three transfer portal players. Here’s the latest

Clemson football needs offensive lineman.

The transfer portal has options.

Coach Dabo Swinney made it clear last week that his program is actively looking to add one or two players with multiple years of eligibility at offensive line, a group that has a new position coach, a number of outgoing veterans and not much star power coming in for the recruiting class of 2024.

That’s a stark contrast from Clemson’s previous activity and public messaging regarding the portal. But it’s a logical adjustment, given that Swinney fired former offensive line coach Thomas Austin and replaced him with Matt Luke last week and the portal remains as big as ever.

The Tigers missed on one of their top portal targets when Alan Herron — a lineman from Division II Shorter (Ga.) University who had Clemson’s only public transfer scholarship offer to date and was set to visit this weekend — announced his commitment to Penn State on Monday.

Here’s the latest on three other linemen Clemson’s involved with.

Keylan Rutledge, MTSU

Rutledge has played himself into a spot on a Power Five roster after two seasons and 22 appearances for Middle Tennessee State, which competes in Conference USA.

He earned All-CUSA honors as a sophomore after playing in 11 games and winning the team’s offensive lineman of the game award four times. A permanent team captain, Rutledge averaged 74 snaps per game and held his own against SEC opponents Alabama and Missouri.

The 6-foot-4, 308-pound Rutledge entered the transfer portal Nov. 29, soon after the coach who recruited him to MTSU, Rick Stockstill, was fired. The lineman told TigerNet he “didn’t think Clemson would be taking portal guys” until he heard from the team shortly afterward.

Rutledge has a natural connection to Clemson in Stockstill, who coached at the school in various capacities from 1989-2002 and put in a good word for Rutledge with the current staff. Clemson’s also within an hour of Rutledge’s hometown, Royston, Ga.

Rutledge was set to visit Clemson on Sunday but had to rearrange his schedule after getting in a car wreck (he’s OK, according to his social media) and is expected to visit later this week, per reports. The all-conference lineman is also considering Georgia Tech and Auburn.

Austin Blaske, Georgia

Blaske’s got an even more direct connection to Clemson than Rutledge: Luke, his former offensive line coach at Georgia and primary recruiter, is now at Clemson.

Blaske entered the portal Dec. 4 and was quickly linked to the Tigers, with TigerIllustrated.com reporting last week he was another transfer target.

Listed at 6-5 and 310 pounds, Blaske doesn’t boast the same all-conference résumé as Rutledge. He played in three games this year for Georgia, which just missed out on the College Football Playoff, and appeared in nine of 15 games in 2022 for the Bulldogs as they won a second consecutive CFP national championship.

Blaske, a three-star recruit from Georgia, was not offered by Clemson coming out of high school in 2020. While at Georgia, he worked all five offensive line positions and was in contention for the starting left tackle job in 2023 before an early injury.

That’s the sort of depth Swinney and company are looking for with center Will Putnam (graduation) and Mitchell Mayes (transfer) leaving this year and Austin, when he was position coach, missing on a number of top 2024 offensive line targets.

Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M

Bisontis is in the portal after one season at Texas A&M, which experienced a coaching change of its own this season (Jimbo Fisher to Mike Elko). As a true freshman and former top 50 national recruit in the 247Sports composite, Bisontis is naturally drawing a ton of interest.

He told On3 Sports last week that he’s heard from 26 schools since entering the portal. Clemson is on that list, but so is just about every notable program in college football: Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern Cal and Oklahoma, to name a few.

Listed at 6-6 and 320 pounds, Bisontis started all 12 games at right tackle for the Aggies, no small feat in the SEC. He’s originally from New Jersey and was the No. 1 interior offensive lineman and No. 46 overall recruit in 247Sports’ Class of 2023.

The Tigers offered Bisontis in high school and made his top 15 schools list but never got him on campus for a visit as he prioritized SEC and Big Ten programs.

Though none of the three players listed here have formally announced a Clemson scholarship offer, the team’s much further down the line with Rutledge, the MTSU transfer who’s planning to visit, than it is with Blaske or Bisontis. Neither of the latter two players have announced plans to visit Clemson — or any other schools — as of Monday.