2025 Clemson Opponent Portal Tracker: SMU Mustangs
By: Jason Priester January 6, 2025

While the ACC has yet to finalize the schedules for next season, we do know Clemson’s opponents.

Today, The Clemson Insider continues its series that looks at each of those opponents and the moves each has made in the transfer portal. Players lost, as well as players added.

We don’t know what date yet, but we do know that the Tigers will host SMU for the very first time next season. It will be a rematch of this year’s ACC Championship Game Clemson won 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser as time expired.

The Mustangs didn’t lose much at all to the portal, but absolutely added some pieces that could make an impact.

SMU Portal Additions

  • DL Eric Taylor (Miss St): Did not play last season after being expected to compete for a starting spot. In 2023, Taylor had 15 tackles and a 0.5 tackle for loss in 12 games. The former LSU player transferred to Southwest Community College in 2021. He had 28 tackles, 8.0 TFL and 3.0 sacks during the 2022 season.
  • DL Damarjhe Lewis (Purdue): The 6-foot-3, 300-pound redshirt junior is one of the most recent additions for SMU. He spent his freshman year at Indiana. He appeared in the first two games of the year for Purdue against Fresno State and Syracuse before sustaining an injury. In his junior year, he appeared in 12 games with three starts. Posted eight tackles, three solos, and one tackle for loss. He saw no action during his freshman year at Indiana.
  • DL Trey Wilson (Baylor): The 6-foot-3, 245-pound strong-side end notched 21 tackles, 3 for loss, and a sack the past two seasons. This season, he played in 12 games, making 14 stops with one tackle for loss. He has two years of eligibility left.
  • RB Chris Johnson (Miami): Johnson had just six carries for 34 yards in 2024. Over his two years with the ‘Canes, Johnson tallied 17 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. Was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school and had an offer from Clemson.
  • OL Addison Nichols (Arkansas): Nichols was one of the portal players Clemson targeted after the 2023 season. He spent his first two seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Arkansas for this past season where he was the starting center. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
  • OL Joshua Bates (Oklahoma): Spent his first two seasons with the Sooners and started two games at center in 2024. Bates was a 4-star coming out of high school and has two season of eligibility left.
  • LB Zakye Barker (ECU): Had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2024, recording 86 tackles with 12 tackles for loss. Barker was a 2-star recruit coming out of high school and didn’t have a single Power-4 offer. He has two seasons left.
  • CB Chasen Johnson (UCF): Just finished up his freshman season. He played in seven games and had 18 tackles with two pass breakups. Originally committed to Southern Cal after entering the portal but quickly backed off the verbal pledge to join the Mustangs.
  • DE DJ Warner (Kansas): Just finished up his freshman campaign with the Jayhawks. A 4-star recruit coming out of high school, Warner is one of the highest-rated players to ever sign with Kansas. Played 202 snaps last season and had just two tackles with five quarterback pressures.

Portal Departures

  • QB Preston Stone (to Northwestern): Began the last two seasons as the SMU starting quarterback before losing the job to Kevin Jennings during the 2024 season. In 2023, Stone passed for passed for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions, as the team reached the AAC Championship Game.
  • CB Jahari Rodgers (to Colorado State): Played in the first four games for SMU, then decided to sit out the rest of the season in order to redshirt and maintain his final season of eligibility. Rogers appeared in all 14 games for SMU in 2023, recording 19 tackles, including 16 solo stops, while snagging an interception.
  • DL Omari Abor (N/A): After spending his first two seasons at Ohio State, Abor transferred to SMU ahead of the 2024 season. Played in just two games for the Mustangs. He was a Top 100 talent coming out of high school.

SMU also signed 22 players as part of its 2025 recruiting class that ranks No. 31 overall and No. 5 in the ACC per the 247 Composite Rankings.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron/Imagn Images

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