
In the modern and ever-changing world of recruiting in the NCAA, the lines between amateur and professional have never been blurrier.
Over the past month, several former G-League players have made the jump to college hoops, including 21-year-old Thierry Darlan and, most recently, former four-star prospect London Johnson, who committed to Louisville last Monday.
With the new House settlement allowing direct revenue sharing from schools to athletes, this kind of movement reflects the broader picture across College Basketball – coaches adapting to a new era of recruiting.
Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell has been no exception. Over the past three years, he has leaned heavily on transfers to reload his roster, acquiring a total of 14 players from the portal. Now, Brownell has hopped on the G-League trend, reaching out to professional guard T.J. Clark alongside a handful of other high-major programs.
Former G-League / pro guard TJ Clark is looking to make the jump to college basketball.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 27, 2025
The 6-3 shooting guard is hearing from several high-major programs: https://t.co/WfcDZj40gJ pic.twitter.com/ppDdhc6FeI
If Clark commits soon enough, he will expect to join the team at the semester break and start official play in the 2026-27 season, similar to Louisville's London Johnson.
Clark began his basketball journey as a three-star recruit out of Newton High School in Covington, Georgia, receiving offers from a number of low-major Division 1 programs, including Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, and Jacksonville, among others.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard would end up forgoing his senior season of high school, taking the professional route by signing with OTE (Overtime Elite) ahead of its inaugural season in September of 2021.
In the 2021 season, he was on Team Overtime Elite alongside now-Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson. He scored double-digit points 10 times throughout the season, including a 16-point performance in Game 1 of the Overtime Elite Championship. Unfortunately, after a strong start, they would fall to Team Elite and Amen Thompson, 2-1, in the three-game series.
He would join the YNG Dreamerz in 2022, flourishing on the defensive end as he averaged 9.5 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals per game. While he would put up a season-high 18 points in Game 1 of the 2022 OTE Championship, Clark's team finished as the runner-up for the second season in a row.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Clark decided to take his talents to the G-League, playing for the Ontario Clippers and Texas Legends. In his 20-game stint, the versatile guard put up 3.4 points in limited action, playing just under 10 minutes a night.
Clark would sign with the Dallas Mavericks Summer League team in 2024, but didn't see the hardwood much, averaging four points and one assist per game on single-digit minutes across three games.
With an unsuccessful Summer League, Clark turned to the Mexican CIBACOPA League, signing with the Rayos de Hermosillo. For the 2024-25 season, he finally found a refreshing place to be himself, playing in 40-of-41 games as a consistent starter. The 188-pound guard averaged 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and just under two steals per game on 47/34/67 shooting splits.
Most recently, Clark was a part of the 2025 3x3 U23 Men's National Team and USA Basketball Men's 3x3 Nations League Team.
Clark's path has been anything but traditional, from Overtime Elite to the G-League to Mexico, and now a possible return to college basketball. For Brad Brownell and other coaches alike, that kind of journey might just represent the future of recruiting.
In an era where adaptability is everything, Clemson's head coach is showing once again that he's willing to evolve right alongside the game.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!