The Clemson Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney did not end the season as they would have liked.
Their year wrapped up after they squeaked into the College Football Playoff bracket as the No. 12 seed and fell to the No. 5 Texas Longhorns 38-24.
Of course, that means it’s time to start building up for the future, which, for most teams, has meant utilizing the transfer portal.
Unfortunately, though, Swinney and the Tigers will now have to replace a key player who recently announced his decision to transfer.
That being sophomore defensive end A.J. Hoffler, who’s seen playing time in the past two years for Clemson.
In those two years, Hoffler has accumulated 16 tackles , two tackles for loss and one pass deflection.
He was also a highly rated recruit coming out of high school. According to 247Sports , Hoffler was the No. 37 EDGE and No. 312 player in the class of 2023.
He also had offers from schools like Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Penn State and Ole Miss.
Ken Ruinard &sol staff &sol USA TODAY NETWORK