
After seeing three guards graduate this past season, the Clemson Tigers require backcourt help. Although the NCAA transfer portal has been open for only a few days, Brad Brownell’s team has been connected to a number of players.
According to Sam Kayser of League Ready, Clemson has been in contact with Charleston Southern guard Brycen Blaine. Blaine, a rising senior from Richmond, VA, has been in contact with Pittsburgh, DePaul, Utah, and several mid-major programs in addition to the Tigers.
Charleston Southern transfer Brycen Blaine is hearing from these schools, a source told @LeagueRDY:
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) April 11, 2026
Pittsburgh
DePaul
Clemson
Utah
Wichita State
George Mason
Towson
East Carolina
Fordham
High Point
Liberty
The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 17.2PPG, 7.2RPG, 3.1APG and 1.3SPG this… https://t.co/BG2rwKfr42 pic.twitter.com/I99Xs7f1B0
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard is coming off a career year with the Buccaneers, averaging 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. His 34.6% three-point percentage ranked third among qualified shooters in the Big South.
Despite Charleston Southern finishing just seventh in the nine-team league, Blaine shone the brightest against the toughest opponents on the schedule. Against Virginia Tech in the team’s season opener, he scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Just a week later, he exploded for 42 points in a comfortable win over The Citadel.
Brycen Blaine. You have to watch this young man.
— T3 (@T3Bracketology) November 22, 2025
Featured him on here & the pod last week, but it requires more. 23 points & 12 reb in win at ECU for @CSU_Mbball
This year:
22p, 8r at Va Tech
42p, 11r, 8a at The Citadel
22p at AAMU
22p, 6r, 5a vs Lindenwood
19p, 10r vs IU Indy
In the Buccaneers’ final test against a power conference opponent, Blaine scored 23 points to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists against South Carolina. He’s proven that his game can scale up, even against more complete defensive teams that have NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Before this past season at CSU, Blaine spent three seasons at James Madison and Gulf Coast State, steadily building toward his breakout season.
For Clemson, adding a player with Blaine’s size, scoring, and rebounding abilities could address a clear need for proven production on a roster that returns little of it. The Tigers are replacing guards like Jestin Porter, Dillon Hunter, and Butta Johnson, all of whom played major minutes as starters for last year’s squad.
With plenty of minutes and potential starting opportunities available for the 2026-27 Tigers, landing an experienced and highly productive guard like Blaine could provide an immediate boost as Brownell and his staff continue to reshape the roster through the portal.
In a 2024 interview, Blaine said that “my favorite thing about basketball is to compete, and the trash talking, the bickering on the court. It gets me going.”
We’ll likely see if that trash-talking is on its way to Littlejohn Coliseum before the transfer portal closes on April 20.
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