Oklahoma transfer DL Markus Strong commits to Clemson

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Oklahoma transfer DL Markus Strong has committed to Clemson, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reports.

The Raiford, FL native recorded eight tackles and one sack this season for the Sooners, whom clinched their first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019. Across three seasons in Norman, Strong totaled 11 tackles and three sacks.

Prior to enrolling at Oklahoma, Strong was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 1,077 overall player in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 112-ranked DL in his class and the No. 153 overall player from the state of Florida, hailing from Union County.

Clemson looks to bounce back from down season in 2026

Clemson entered the 2025 season with lofty expectations, as it was tabbed as the No. 4 ranked team in the Preseason AP Poll. The Tigers mightily failed to live up to these expectations, however, as they finished with a 7-6 record and a loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. It marked the first sub eight-win season for Clemson since 2010, which was head coach Dabo Swinney‘s second in charge.

Following the loss to the Nittany Lions, Swinney promised to take what he learned from the disappointing season and channel it into a strong 2026 campaign.

“Again, I know we’ve got seven wins, but we’re a lot closer than people think,” Swinney said. “That’s one of them things, boy, if you say that you get torn up on social media, people rip you I’m sure. But that’s the reality. I know what it is, and I know how close we are. It’s one more catch or one more good throw. It’s a better call or one stop. Next thing you know, you win a couple of those games that we lost early, and now you’ve got confidence and momentum and all those things matter. We just never got that.

“Again, it’s never as good as you think, it’s never as bad as you think. I’ve done this a long time, and this is the second worst season we’ve had in 17 years. There will be something good come from it just like the last one we had in 2010. We had a lot of great things come from it. We’ll have a lot of great come from this one, as well.”

Swinney has more than earned another season to turn things around, as he has led Clemson to a 187-53 record, nine ACC Championships, and two National Championships across 17 seasons.