Clemson football lands speedy ACC running back out of transfer portal
Clemson football picked up its first transfer portal commit on offense, and he’s a speedy running back who could be a game-changer for the unit.
Former SMU running back Chris Johnson Jr. has committed to the Tigers, he announced Sunday. Johnson comes to Clemson as a redshirt junior and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Johnson (6-0, 184) ran for 479 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry for SMU in 2025. He also caught 17 passes for 180 yards and another score and averaged 19.3 yards per kick return.
Johnson was the second leading rusher for SMU (9-4), and his 7.1 yards per carry were second most in the ACC among qualified rushers.
He also had a big game in SMU’s Oct. 18 win at Clemson, rushing six times for 59 yards and a touchdown and catching four passes for 40 yards. Johnson’s six-yard TD run with 1:03 remaining clinched the Mustangs’ 35-24 win at Memorial Stadium.
Johnson’s speed could make for an interesting complement to rising sophomore Gideon Davidson, Clemson’s presumed RB1. Davidson rushed for 260 yards (4.3 yards per carry) for the Tigers behind Adam Randall in 2025.
Johnson previously played two seasons at Miami and was recruited by Clemson coming out of high school as a four-star recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Worth noting: Chris Johnson Jr. has no relation to Chris Johnson, the former ECU and NFL star running back from 2008-17 known as “CJ 2K.”
Tigers add defensive end from FCS school
Johnson was Clemson’s second portal commit Sunday.
The Tigers and Dabo Swinney also picked up former Howard defensive end CJ Wesley, who had 5.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles in 2025 for the FCS school. Wesley has two years of eligibility left.
Wesley’s commitment continued a run of nine straight defensive portal commits for Clemson, which is committed to rebuilding its defense under second-year coordinator Tom Allen. The Tigers have four defensive backs, four defensive linemen and one linebacker to date.
Clemson football 2025-26 transfer portal
Transfers in (10)
- Penn State DB Elliot Washington II
- Cal LB Luke Ferrelli
- Old Dominion S Jerome Carter III
- Auburn CB Donovan Starr
- Southern Miss S Corey Myrick
- West Georgia DT Kourtney Kelly
- Oklahoma DT Markus Strong
- Colorado DE London Merritt
- Howard DE CJ Wesley
- SMU RB Chris Johnson Jr.
Transfers out (12)
- ATH Marquise Henderson (Samford)
- DB Shelton Lewis (Arkansas)
- LB Dee Crayton
- RB Keith Adams Jr.
- S Khalil Barnes (Georgia)
- LB Jamal Anderson
- S Rob Billings
- TE Josh Sapp
- DT Stephiylan Green (LSU)
- DE Markus Dixon
- S Ricardo Jones
- OL Rowan Byrne (UNC)
This story was originally published January 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM.
