Clemson is about to find out a lot about itself, and Brad Brownell may be the one holding the answers.
The Tigers are less than two weeks from opening the 2026-27 season, but this roster comes with plenty of unknowns. A big chunk of last year’s team is gone, key injuries have thinned out important spots, and Brownell is trying to piece together a new group before the games start counting.
Clemson does at least have two exhibitions to sort things out, beginning Friday against Georgia at Littlejohn Coliseum. The preseason wrap-up comes Wednesday, Oct. 28, when Presbyterian visits.
Then the real thing begins Monday, Nov. 2, against Stetson.
Before that first tip, three issues jump to the front of the line.
The backcourt is the biggest immediate puzzle, and it starts with Dillon Hunter. He is still practicing with the team while hoping to secure that final year of eligibility.
If he gets the green light, Clemson’s rotation looks a lot cleaner. If not, the Tigers have to scramble.
Zac Foster is out after tearing his ACL again, which leaves Ace Buckner as the main point guard option. Buckner should have a handle on Brownell’s expectations, but there are fresh faces around him.
Cole Certa, a transfer from Notre Dame, is expected to begin on the wing alongside Liutauras Lelevicius. Harris Reynolds, a true freshman, arrives after winning a state championship at St.
Pius X in Atlanta. How much Hunter can play, if he can play at all, will shape everything.
Brownell does have some time to sort out the minutes, and that matters here.
The frontcourt has its own uncertainty, and Carter Welling is right in the middle of it. Clemson’s best big man may not be back until midseason as he continues recovering from a torn ACL suffered in March. Brownell offered a positive update on Welling, but for now the load falls on a trio that has not played at Clemson before: Lelevicius, Dylan Faulkner and David Fuchs.
Lelevicius arrives from TCU after starting his college career at Oregon State. Faulkner is the local name in the group, but this is his first season with the Tigers after stops at Samford and Lipscomb.
Fuchs spent last year at San Francisco after his first two college seasons at Rhode Island. Those three have to come together quickly while Clemson waits on Welling.
There is a reason the Tigers have some belief here, though. Welling adjusted quickly during his first season at Clemson, and that gives the staff reason to think he can do it again once he returns.
All of that puts Brownell in the spotlight more than ever. He has been at Clemson for 16 years and has taken the program to the NCAA Tournament six times, including each of the last three seasons.
He has also guided UNC-Wilmington and Wright State into the tournament. A few years ago, Indiana came calling, but Brownell stayed put.
This season may ask for his best work yet. Clemson is expected to land around the top six in the ACC, so the standard is already clear.
If the Tigers miss the NCAA Tournament, the noise will get loud. If Brownell can steer this roster through the backcourt uncertainty and the rebuilt frontcourt, it would say plenty about the coach and the program he has built.
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