CLEMSON — Texas safety Andrew Mukuba will face Clemson football for the first time since transferring in 2023.
The No. 12 seed Tigers (10-3) will face the No. 5 seed Longhorns (11-2) on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, TNT) in Austin, Texas, at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. The winner advances to play No. 4 seed Arizona State, the Big 12 champion, in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney dubbed the first-round playoff game as the "Mukuba Bowl," with the defensive back facing his former team. Mukuba was one of two starters to leave the Tigers via the portal in 2023. Swinney touts about Clemson's retention rate when it comes to the portal, but Mukuba's exit was shocking.
"I just needed a reset in my life all-around, not just football but life in general," Mukuba said Monday. "I felt like that was the right time for me to make a move and try to find myself and find something to get me going. I believe I found that and found myself."
Mukuba said it was a tough conversation with Swinney on his decision to transfer, but the Tigers' coach was understanding. Mukuba added on the "Behind The Facemask" podcast in August that his lack of development played a factor in his decision too.
"My time there at Clemson, I just felt like I wasn't really getting better," Mukuba said. "I wasn't being pushed enough to where I could reach my potential and my peak. The program wasn't where it needed to be for me and the whole team to be successful. After my junior year, I felt like it was the same thing. After that, it was only right for me to transfer."
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Swinney called Mukuba Clemson's first "COVID commit" because he could not meet the Tigers' staff in-person, until he enrolled in January because of the COVID-19 recruiting restrictions. Mukuba spent three seasons with Clemson, recording 143 tackles, 17 pass deflections and one interception in 35 games and 31 starts.
Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams said he texted Mukuba when the matchup was announced on Selection Sunday, and both expressed excitement about facing each other.
"Andrew was a great player for us," Swinney said. "He did everything that was asked of him. He worked his butt off here. Certainly wished he had finished here."
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Andrew Mukuba on Texas transfer, Dabo Swinney
