Former Tiger Pagano heading to Oregon

Former Clemson defensive tackle Scott Pagano announced Friday he’s heading to play for the Oregon Ducks.

Pagano, who transfered from Clemson in February, chose the Pac-12 school over Oklahoma.

He was also looking at Notre Dame, and Tiger coach Dabo Swinney was open to Pagano returning to Clemson.

Pagano made the decision to play for new Oregon coach Willie Taggart public via his Instagram account.

“When I announced my intentions, I didn’t know how people would react,” Pagano wrote. “Thankfully, almost everyone was respectful of my decision and wished me well on my journey. I’m very appreciative of that and it definitely speaks volumes of the class and character of my Clemson Family. After taking several visits, I can honestly say there is no place like Clemson. A part of me will always miss Clemson and the relationships I have built here. I’ll definitely be back to visit.”

The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Hawaii native recorded 31 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks for the Tigers in 2016. With a Clemson degree already in hand, he’ll have one year of eligibility at Oregon, which had one of the nation’s worst defenses a year ago.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Former Tiger Pagano heading to Oregon."