Former 5-star Clemson WBB recruit commits to new Big Ten school
After abruptly stepping away from Clemson women’s basketball earlier last month, a five-star recruit has announced her new college destination.
Former Clemson signee Trinity Jones has committed to Maryland, she announced April 23. The Big Ten program formally announced Jones’ signing April 24.
Jones, a guard/forward from the Chicago area, ranked as the No. 7 overall recruit in the Class of 2026 per 247Sports. She verbally committed to the Tigers and coach Shawn Poppie in October 2025 and formally signed with Clemson in November.
On April 4, though, The State confirmed that Jones had been released from her binding letter of intent with Clemson at her request. Jones told ESPN that day her recruitment was “officially open” and that she’d started talking with other schools.
Before she committed to Clemson last fall, Jones’ other finalists were LSU, Tennessee, TCU and UCLA. At the time of her commitment, she was the highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Tigers in the modern recruiting era (since 2008).
Jones’ departure came less than a week after she had played in the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Girls Game in the Phoenix area and scored 10 points. She’d spoken positively about Clemson and her excitement to join the team that Monday.
Jones averaged 28.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game as a senior at Naperville Central High School in Illinois and broke the school’s single-game scoring record previously held by Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
Jones and her mother, LaSonja Jones, told The State in February that NIL and revenue-sharing money played a role in Jones’ recruitment but were not driving factors. Jones’ mother handled all financial conversations, and she and her daughter agreed money would be “the last thing we talk about.”
Her decommitment was a big blow for Clemson, which went 21-12 (11-7 ACC) and made only its second NCAA Tournament since 2002 in Poppie’s second season.
Jones joins a Maryland program that has been a postseason mainstay under longtime coach Brenda Frese. Frese is entering her 25th season coaching the Terrapins, who’ve reached 15 straight NCAA Tournaments.
ESPN’s Shane Laflin reported that Jones “drew interest” from major programs including Tennessee, LSU, TCU, Oklahoma and UCLA after decommitting from Clemson and reopening her recruitment in April. Before she joined Maryland, Jones was the last top 100 high school recruit who hadn’t signed with a college.
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 7:45 AM.
