Clemson football had 11 transfers last year. How are they playing this season?

Coach Dabo Swinney’s Clemson football program saw 11 scholarship players enter the transfer portal during or after the 2021 season.

As the fifth-ranked Tigers (8-0, 6-0 ACC) enter their open week, here’s a look at how those former Clemson players are performing so far in 2022.

WR Frank Ladson Jr., Miami

Ladson, the former No. 39 overall recruit in the class of 2019 per 247Sports, is emerging as a key midseason piece for Miami’s offense. He’s second on the team in catches (24) and third in receiving yards (246) and had a run of three straight games with 58-plus yards earlier this year.

Ladson caught 31 career passes for 428 yards and six touchdowns over 30 games at Clemson from 2019-21 while frequently battling injuries. He started eight career games as a Tiger, including four in 2021 before entering the portal, and will return to Memorial Stadium when Clemson hosts Miami (3-4, 1-2 ACC) on Nov. 19.

S Joseph Charleston, Missouri

Charleston has been productive in his first season with Missouri (3-4, 1-3 SEC). He’s listed as a co-starter at safety on the Tigers’ latest depth chart and has 35 total tackles, two pass breakups, one tackle for loss and a 29-yard pick six in seven games for Mizzou.

Charleston came to Clemson as a top 150 recruit and played in 24 games with six starts across three seasons before entering the portal last October. He was credited with 55 tackles, the third most on the team, during Clemson’s 2020 College Football Playoff semifinal season.

LB Kane Patterson, Vanderbilt

Patterson has 25 total tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while playing in all eight games for Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-4 SEC) this season. He had a season-high five tackles against Northern Illinois in September.

Patterson played in 37 games across three seasons at Clemson and was expected to compete for rotational linebacker snaps in 2022 before transferring back home to play with his younger brother, Langston, a freshman linebacker at Vanderbilt.

RB Lyn-J Dixon, none

Dixon, a one-time top backup to Clemson star Travis Etienne, isn’t playing college football this season despite twice joining Power Five programs in the offseason. He committed to West Virginia last November, re-entered the portal this June and committed to Tennessee on Aug. 3.

But 18 days later, multiple outlets reported Dixon was no longer with the Volunteers program. He finished his Clemson career with 1,420 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns, including a career-high 635 yards as a sophomore in 2019.

RB Michel Dukes, USF

Dukes was the first of three former Clemson players to join former Tigers offensive coordinator Jeff Scott at South Florida last offseason. He has 29 carries for 110 yards and three touchdowns in six games this season and is also averaging 26.5 yards per kick return.

Dukes’ best game of 2022 was against Howard in Week 2 when he had a season-high 34 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Bulls (1-6, 0-3 AAC). Dukes, a Charleston native, played in 18 games over three seasons at Clemson.

OL Paul Tchio, Georgia Tech

Tchio was listed as Georgia Tech’s No. 2 right guard on the Yellow Jackets’ most recent depth chart. The Milton, Georgia native transferred closer to home after playing in 14 games with one start over two seasons at Clemson.

The Yellow Jackets (3-4, 2-2 ACC) got blown out by Clemson in Week 1 and fired their coach, Geoff Collins, after Week 4. Tchio is currently playing under interim coach Brent Key, formerly GT’s offensive line coach.

QB Taisun Phommachanh, Georgia Tech

Phommachanh was starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s primary backup at Clemson in 2021 and has settled into a similar role at Georgia Tech. On the most recent depth chart, he was listed as a co-backup with Zach Gibson behind starter Jeff Sims.

Phommachanh, a Connecticut native, appeared in 13 games with zero starts over three seasons at Clemson while backing up quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Uiagalelei.

TE Jaelyn Lay, Alabama State

Lay transferred to Alabama State, an HBCU that competes in the FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference, as a graduate transfer after three seasons and 19 games at Clemson.

The 6-foot-7 tight end has four catches for 30 yards in four games for the Hornets (4-3, 2-2 SWAC), which has already surpassed his Clemson career totals (two catches for 25 yards).

DL Darnell Jefferies, Minnesota

Jefferies played four seasons and 29 games at Clemson as a reserve defensive tackle before joining Minnesota as a graduate transfer for the 2022 season. He’s played in all seven games and recorded four total tackles for the Golden Gophers (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten).

WR Ajou Ajou, USF

Ajou, who was recruited to Clemson by Scott, was expected to take on a starting wide receiver role for USF after playing minimally over two seasons with the Tigers. But he only played in one game, the Bulls’ 2022 opener, before suffering a season-ending injury.

Ajou played in 22 games for Clemson, including 12 of 13 games with two starts last season, before transferring last December. He had six catches for 73 yards in 2021.

S Ray Thornton III, USF

Thornton, a core special teams contributor at Clemson from 2019 to 2021, has played sparingly at South Florida. He’s listed as the team’s third-string strong safety and has appeared in three games this season, logging three total tackles and a pass breakup.

2022 transfers

Clemson’s had two players declare their intent to enter the transfer portal this season: linebacker Sergio Allen and wide receiver Dacari Collins. They can’t officially enter the portal until after the season ends, per new NCAA rules.