CLEMSON — Clemson’s run of adding ACC guards in the transfer portal has continued.
Notre Dame’s Cole Certa has signed with the Tigers, which marks Brad Brownell’s first transfer find of the 2026 offseason.
In consecutive years, Clemson bolstered its backcourt with Syracuse sniper Joe Girard III and Boston College defensive pest Jaeden Zackery. Brownell went outside of the ACC with Butta Johnson (UAB) and Jestin Porter (Middle Tennessee) last offseason.
But the Tigers are raiding familiar territory again with Certa, a rising junior who scored 12.8 points per game for the Fighting Irish as a sophomore after averaging just 2.5 per outing as a freshman in 2024-25.
Certa, who stands 6-foot-5, connected on just 37.4 percent of his attempts from the field last season, but he was a 36.7-percent shooter from beyond the arc. He’s also nearly a 90-percent shooter from the free throw line in two collegiate seasons.
If Clemson seeks to field a 13-player roster, like last season, the Tigers have room for two more additions with seven players currently returning and three incoming freshmen signed, but NCAA men’s basketball teams can now offer up to 15 scholarships.
Rising senior wing Jake Wahlin, the former transfer from Utah, is Clemson’s only loss thus far in the portal.
It would be reasonable to assume the Tigers will target at least one frontcourt player with RJ Godfrey and Nick Davidson graduating, and Carter Welling’s March ACL injury leaving him with an uncertain timetable.
Certa’s addition, on the other hand, leaves Clemson with a couple of options on the perimeter.
Brownell could roll with rising redshirt sophomore Ace Buckner, along with rising sophomore combo guard Zac Foster, at the point and add a true wing to the mix. Clemson’s backcourt will also add talented freshman Harris Reynolds next season, along with 6-6 signee Amare James.
But if the Tigers don’t want to invest too heavily in youth, they could pursue a veteran point guard and play with three guards with Certa as a slightly undersized wing.
Certa, however, has not provided much as a rebounder in his career. He has just 58 rebounds total in 49 career games.
