Clemson football losing backup linebacker to transfer portal
Clemson football has its first December transfer.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Crayton plans to enter the transfer portal, The State has confirmed. The news was first reported by TigerIllustrated.com. Crayton is currently in his third season at Clemson.
Crayton has appeared in 30 games for the Tigers since joining the team as a three-star recruit in 2022 and has 29 total tackles. He hasn’t started at game at Clemson and has played primarily on special teams in 2025 (11 games).
Crayton has played just 79 defensive snaps this season.
The NCAA transfer portal window runs for 15 days from Jan. 2-16, 2026. Players cannot formally enter their name into the transfer portal until Jan. 2, although hundreds will declare their intent to enter the portal earlier than that date.
Once they are formally in the portal, player can commit to a school at any point. There is no spring transfer portal window, as the NCAA abolished it last fall.
The Tigers already have two players on their 2025 roster transferring: Athlete Marquise Henderson, who was dismissed from the team in the spring, and cornerback Shelton Lewis, who left the team mid-season to preserve his redshirt.
Clemson football 2025 transfers
- ATH Marquise Henderson (offseason)
- DB Shelton Lewis (mid-season)
- LB Dee Crayton
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 6:57 PM.
