Clemson guard, former UAB transfer Butta Johnson enters NCAA Transfer Portal

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Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers guard Butta Johnson (4) looks on during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Alex Byington

Wed, Apr 8, 2026 ·

3 min read

Clemson senior guard Efrem “Butta” Johnson has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Johnson will need an eligibility waiver from the NCAA to play in 2026-27 after exhausting his four seasons of collegiate eligibility this past year.

Johnson averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and one assist across 35 games, including nine starts, for Clemson during the 2025-26 season. His best game of last season came in a 15-point effort on March 7 against Georgia Tech , as Johnson hit double figures in scoring in three of the Tigers’ last five games last season. That included scoring 11 points in Clemson’s 67-61 loss to Iowa in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Prior to transferring to Clemson, the 6-foot-4 guard from Huntsville previously appeared in 100 career games across three seasons at UAB (2022-25). Johnson started 46 of 71 games played between 2023-25, during which he averaged nearly 10.0 points per game, including a career-best 11.2 ppg in 2023-24. He averaged 7.6 points on 39.7% shooting, including 34.7% from 3-point range, to go along with 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 135 games during his four-year collegiate career.

Clemson posted a 24-11 overall record this season and a 12-6 mark in conference play. The Tigers suffered a season-ending loss to Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament . After the game, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell reflected on his team’s season.

“Super proud of these guys right here. What they did for our team and the leadership that they showed throughout the year, can’t say enough good things,” Brownell said. “Just really proud of these guys for what they’ve done and the young men they are. It was a pleasure to coach them.

“… It’s really hard. It’s really hard because we’re with these guys so much. Blood, sweat and tears, and we have all of it, right, throughout our careers, and even these seasons. … I think if you just listen to them, it speaks to our university, our Clemson community. It speaks to the culture of our basketball program, the type of people that we have.”

Clemson forward Jake Wahlin enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Johnson is the second member of Clemson’s 2025-26 roster to enter the portal since it opened at midnight Monday, joining forward Jake Wahlin , who has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

Wahlin transferred to Clemson last offseason. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

In his lone season at Clemson, Wahlin made 35 appearances and 28 starts. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game, while shooting 40.3% from the field and 34.0% from beyond the arc. Wahlin averaged 20.5 minutes per contest.

Wahlin’s best performance of the season was in Clemson’s 85-77 loss to Wake Forest on Feb. 18. In the loss, Wahlin tallied a season-high 17 points and five rebounds on 7-11 shooting from the floor.

Before transferring to Clemson, Wahlin spent two seasons at Utah . He amassed 53 appearances for the Utes, including 23 starts. He averaged a career-high 6.3 points per game in his sophomore season at Utah.

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.