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RB Chris Johnson Jr. is Dabo Swinney's first offensive player for Clemson 2026 portal class
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- RB Chris Johnson Jr. is Dabo Swinney's first offensive player for Clemson 2026 portal class
This story was updated after Clemson confirmed Johnson's transfer.
Clemson football has added SMU running back Chris Johnson Jr. as coach Dabo Swinney's first offensive player addition for the 2026 transfer portal class on Jan. 11.
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Clemson has added 10 players in the portal this offseason, but the first nine players were on defense .
Swinney has smashed the school record for players added in the transfer portal. He picked up three last season.
Johnson had 67 carries for 479 yards and four touchdowns, plus 17 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown for the Mustangs in 2025. He had three kick returns for 58 yards.
In SMU's 35-24 win over Clemson, Johnson had six carries for 59 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 40 yards.
Is Chris Johnson Jr. related to former NFL star Chris Johnson?
Chris Johnson Jr. is not related to the former NFL star running back named Chris Johnson.
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Chris Johnson rushed for 9,651 yards and 55 touchdowns in 10 NFL seasons with the Titans, Jets and Cardinals from 2008 to 2017.
He was known as CJ2K after rushing for 2,006 yards during the 2009 season.
Chris Johnson Jr. stats
Chris Johnson Jr., who is 6-foot, 184 pounds, is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and played at Dillard High School. He signed with Miami as part of the 2023 class as a three-star prospect and was the No. 25 running back nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Johnson spent two seasons at Miami, playing in four games in 2023 and 12 in 2024.
He had 17 rushes for 104 yards and one touchdown in 16 total games and had nine catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He returned 19 kicks for 463 yards.
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How Clemson football looks at running back
Adam Randall , who led Clemson with 814 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, is out of eligibility.
Gideon Davidson rushed for 260 yards on 60 carries in his freshman season.
Other competition could come from Jay Haynes, who missed all of 2025 with injuries after rushing for 295 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2024.
David Eziomume had 16 carries for 71 yards as a redshirt freshman this season.
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, Dabo Swinney land RB Chris Johnson Jr. as transfer
