Clemson football players sound off on 2023 eligibility plans after Orange Bowl

New year. Same team?

As Clemson football regroups from Friday’s Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee and looks forward to the 2023 season, the program’s still waiting to hear from a number of players whose stay-or-go decisions could notably alter next year’s roster.

Wide receiver Joseph Ngata, defensive end K.J. Henry and defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro headline a group of 2022 starters or co-starters who have at least one remaining year of eligibility thanks to either a redshirt year or the NCAA’s blanket “COVID year” waiver.

They’re among the veteran Clemson players deciding whether to pursue professional opportunities or return to the Tigers for another season — and they don’t have much time.

Head coach Dabo Swinney said Friday that Clemson will hold its first 2023 team meeting on Jan. 13. As noted by Clemson247, that seems like a logical deadline for the Tigers to know who they’re getting back and who they’re losing for next fall.

According to an NCAA memo last year, players “four years or more removed from high school with remaining eligibility” technically have until Feb. 4 to opt out of the NFL Draft.

Here is a list of public decisions to date for 2023:

• DE Myles Murphy (leaving early for NFL)

• LB Trenton Simpson (leaving early for NFL)

• DT Bryan Bresee (leaving early for NFL)

• OT Jordan McFadden (leaving for NFL)

• TE Davis Allen (leaving for NFL)

• LB Keith Maguire (moving on from football)

• DE Justin Mascoll (returning for 2023)

Here are the players who haven’t announced plans:

• WR Joseph Ngata

• DT Ruke Orhorhoro

• DT Tyler Davis

• DT K.J. Henry

• S Jalyn Phillips

• CB Sheridan Jones

• DE Xavier Thomas

And here’s a closer look at those seven players’ futures:

WR Joseph Ngata

Ngata ended the 2022 season on a tear, catching five passes for 46 yards in the ACC championship game and a career-high eight for 84 yards in the Orange Bowl.

That was his most productive two-game stretch (130 yards) since September, and it came with true freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik at the helm. It also punctuated a career year for Ngata, a fourth-year senior who set new highs with 14 starts, 41 catches and 526 yards in 2022.

Ngata has one remaining year of eligibility and told The State that he’d sit down with his family “here in a couple of days” to deliberate on whether to use it.

“The factors that play into that are just confidential between me and my family,” he said. “We’re gonna take it day by day, step by step, and factor in everything.”

Ngata added that his chemistry with Klubnik, who’s well entrenched as Clemson’s 2023 starting quarterback, would play a “big role” in his decision, but wouldn’t be the deciding factor.

DT Ruke Orhorhoro

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy may have accidentally broken some news Friday with this tweet: “Can’t wait to see where Ruke Orhorhoro’s game is next fall for (Clemson). Wouldn’t have gotten out of Day 2 this year but has chance to be first-rounder in 2024.”

Orhorhoro, a fourth-year junior who’d previously accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl, had a tackle for loss and a sack in the Orange Bowl. He remained coy in the locker room postgame, joking that Nagy “maybe” knew something the rest of the public didn’t.

Orhorhoro, a third team All-ACC selection who had eight tackles for loss and four sacks in 2022, said he hadn’t made a formal decision yet. Outside of improving his draft stock, he’s also weighing how a return to Clemson could help him reach another goal: a national title.

“I was there my freshman year when we got to the top of the mountain, and I saw what it took, but I’ve never won one myself,” Orhorhoro said, per The Clemson Insider. “I just want to come back and hit all five goals: Win the closer, win the ACC, win the state championship, win the division and win the opener.”

DT Tyler Davis

Davis said last week he was 95% sure he’d leave Clemson for the NFL after earning first team All-ACC honors and accepting a Senior Bowl invite — that is, until Henry starting pitching Davis and Orhorhoro returning to Clemson with him in 2023 as a three-player “package deal.”

“I’d intended on leaving, and K.J. had the pitch,” Davis said. “I kind of heard it a little bit … it’s like (80% leaving, 20% staying) right now so I don’t know yet. Really, it was like 95-5 that I was going and then he brought it up 15%. He’s very convincing.”

Davis had 31 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 12 games this year and has one remaining year of eligibility. He confirmed to The State postgame he still hadn’t made a decision.

DE K.J. Henry

After developing into an every-game starter and setting career highs in tackles and tackles for loss as a fifth-year senior, Henry still might come back for more. He said last week he was “leaning toward” returning to Clemson for a sixth and final season.

“That decision time will be made at a later date,” Henry said postgame. “Right now it’s just about appreciating what we’ve done this year. Coach Swinney said it in the locker room: 11 great days and three bad ones, and we’d be fools to really just focus on the bad three.”

Henry, a former five-star recruit long considered one of Clemson’s team leaders, was a second team All-ACC selection in 2022 with 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 14 games (all starts). If he returns, he could break Clemson’s all-time games record of 69 (he’s at 58).

Henry’s also accepted a Senior Bowl invite.

S Jalyn Phillips

Phillips, a senior co-starter at free safety with Tyler Venables, told The State he’s “definitely” thought about returning but hasn’t made a decision yet.

Phillips set career highs with 14 starts, 74 total tackles and four pass deflections in 2023. He said another year of film as a starter would be helpful but “my body might say otherwise.” Phillips will also consider whether he feels mentally ready to go to the pros now or later.

“Definitely going to talk to my parents and all the close people around me,” he said. “Just go over pros and cons … I haven’t made a decision yet, but it should be coming soon.”

CB Sheridan Jones

When healthy, Jones was an entrenched starter for Clemson at cornerback opposite Nate Wiggins. He started all 10 games he played in this season and had 27 tackles.

Jones didn’t play in the Orange Bowl with a hip flexor injury; as a result, Clemson declined to make him available for postgame interviews. Swinney said earlier in the week that Jones, who also missed three games with a shoulder/neck stinger, “could come back.”

“He’s declared this as his senior year all year, but, as you know, a lot of these guys have,” Swinney said. “I guess we’re going to deal with it for a couple more years with the COVID year. I don’t know if it’s his last time. A lot of guys are going to decide that after the game.”

Jones has accepted an East-West Shrine Bowl invite.

DE Xavier Thomas

Like Henry, Thomas is a former five-star class of 2018 defensive line recruit. Like Henry, Thomas can also return for a sixth and final season in 2022.

Thomas, who was in his best shape since freshman year headed into this season, broke his foot in preseason camp and missed Clemson’s first five games.

He returned with a bang, picking up two sacks, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit on six snaps against Boston College, and played in the Tigers’ next two games before re-injuring his foot. Swinney said Clemson would be happy to take Thomas — who underwent season-ending surgery in November and didn’t travel with the team to the Orange Bowl — back in 2023.

“But he can go on and go pro, too,” Swinney said in November. “I don’t have any doubt he’ll get drafted. Obviously he’s missed out on a lot of opportunity and in his mind he hasn’t been able to really be the best version of himself. But, he’s gonna be fine no matter what.”