How Dabo helped a Clemson transfer find a new opportunity in the Big Ten
Former Clemson player Markus Dixon had an “insane” transfer portal experience.
He credits Dabo Swinney for helping him find a landing spot in the Big Ten.
Dixon signed with Clemson as a three-star recruit and played two seasons at tight end for the Tigers before moving to defensive end ahead of the 2025 season, playing minimally. He entered the portal and committed to Oregon in January.
But Dixon, who will play tight end for coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, didn’t have the smoothest portal experience. Speaking on a podcast earlier this spring, he said he was going to commit to UConn before the program essentially pulled his offer.
“I got a call on that Thursday before the transfer portal window closed on Friday,” Dixon said on a Feb. 26 episode of the “Gameball” podcast. “They (UConn) told me they had some guys coming back in who were on the depth chart previously. It was very upsetting. I thought that was going to be the place for me.”
Dixon (6-4, 265) appeared in three games for Clemson as a defensive end and played 13 snaps, including four in the team’s Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State. He expected to play that position at his next school and had taken an official visit to UConn.
Dabo’s endorsement helps Dixon land at Oregon
After the Huskies dropped Dixon from recruiting consideration around the time most programs were finalizing their rosters, he scrambled to find another team.
“Next thing you know, I’m sending transcripts to Howard University, and I’m thinking I’m gonna roll through with that,” he said on the podcast.
Then, after he posted on X (formerly Twitter) to clarify he hadn’t committed anywhere yet, Dixon got a call from Oregon offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, who’d previously recruited Dixon out of high school.
“He’s like, ‘I have a kid who’s probably going to commit, but if he doesn’t, I’ll call you right back, and I’ll have a spot for you. It’ll be at tight end,’” Dixon recalled.
About 30 minutes later, Mehringer called him back. Dixon assumed it was bad news: The other transfer portal tight end Oregon was considering must’ve committed.
But Mehringer had a different update: Not only had the portal tight end in question picked another school, but Mehringer had also called Swinney, Dixon’s former Clemson coach, who gave his former player a strong endorsement.
Swinney has helped Clemson transfers like Hunter Helms find new schools over the years and long said he’ll assist in that process as long as a player is leaving for the right reasons. He offered to do the same thing last year for former Clemson WR Adam Randall if Randall, who was moving to RB, didn’t like his position change.
“It was crazy,” Dixon said on the podcast. “Really a full circle moment.”
Dixon took an official visit to Oregon later that week and committed to the Ducks, who’ve reached back-to-back College Football Playoffs. Dixon said Lanning and Swinney also communicated about him ahead of his recruiting visit.
“Even when I decided to enter my name into the transfer portal, he (Swinney) has been supportive,” Dixon said on “Gameball.” “He said I had great characteristics, I’m a great student-athlete and that alone will get me far. So he had no problem doing a favor for me, trying to get me to my next spot. … I’m very appreciative.”
Clemson football 2026 transfers
Accounting for scholarship departures; listed with new schools
- ATH Marquise Henderson (Samford)
- DB Shelton Lewis (Arkansas)
- LB Dee Crayton (UNLV)
- RB Keith Adams Jr. (Georgia State)
- S Khalil Barnes (Georgia)
- LB Jamal Anderson (SMU)
- S Rob Billings (Jacksonville State)
- TE Josh Sapp (West Virginia)
- DT Stephiylan Green (LSU)
- TE Markus Dixon (Oregon)
- S Ricardo Jones (Vanderbilt)
- OL Rowan Byrne (UNC)
