Efrem “Butta” Johnson’s bid for another year of college basketball hit a wall Tuesday when a South Carolina judge denied the temporary restraining order he was seeking.
Johnson, who spent last season at Clemson as a senior, had filed a lawsuit in state court Friday in South Carolina in an effort to win a fifth season of eligibility. He and 15 other plaintiffs asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction so they could play in the new school year.
The hearing was held Monday, but the plaintiffs’ motion was denied Tuesday. The judge did not dismiss the case itself, only the request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.
Johnson’s filing said the NCAA’s rules currently block him from speaking with any coaches other than his previous school’s staff, even though he has graduated. The complaint argued that the plaintiffs would suffer “irreparable harm” without relief, and that there is no adequate remedy at law. It also said the plaintiffs have failed to meet their burden of proof.
“More specifically, the plaintiffs have failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits of their substantive claims,” the complaint stated.
Johnson’s path to this point started at VCU, where he spent his first three college seasons before transferring to Clemson for his senior year. He entered the transfer portal again last spring in hopes of landing an extra year of eligibility.
The NCAA announced in June that Division I athletes would be allowed to play for five seasons instead of four. In other words, a current senior such as Tech’s Amani Hansberry could return in the 2025-26 season for a fifth season of action. But the rule does not include Johnson and other athletes who exhausted their eligibility in the 2023-24 school year, which is why a number of players who were seniors in the 2023-24 school year have sued to play a fifth season.
In late July, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte Sweeney of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that gave all college athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and exhausted their college eligibility in the 2023-24 school year a fifth season. But two weekends later, others are once again ineligible.
The stay did not affect athletes who have successfully sued for a restraining order in various state courts in a quest for a fifth season.
Johnson is one of 20 plaintiffs who joined the lawsuit last Friday, including former Virginia Tech and Clemson baseball player Tyson Ballay, who wants to go back to Mercer if he gets a fifth season; former Indiana and Miami men’s basketball player Malik Reneau, who might play at Kansas, Miami or Virginia if he gets a fifth season; former Radford, Greensboro and Wichita State men’s basketball player Kenyon Giles, who wants to return to Wichita State if he gets a fifth season; and former Virginia Tech and Michigan State men’s basketball player Tommy Szypkański, who might join Mercer if he gets a fifth season.
Johnson played in 33 games as a Clemson senior last season, starting nine. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds, and he made 32 3-pointers.
If he ultimately wins eligibility, Johnson would be the 13th player on Tech’s roster for the upcoming season if he joins the Hokies. Fifteen is the NCAA maximum.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Just Made A Late Defensive Addition Before The Opener
Virginia Tech is making one more late roster move before its season opener against VMI, with reports saying the Hokies are adding South Carolina safety DQ Smith from the transfer portal. Smith, who spent four seasons with the Gamecocks, is expected to join Virginia Tech for his fifth college season, giving the defense another experienced option as the countdown to kickoff winds down.
The timing is notable because this kind of late addition can still matter in August, especially for a secondary that benefits from experienced depth and competition. The move has not been officially confirmed by the team yet, but if it goes through, it gives Virginia Tech another veteran piece to work into the mix right before the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Lands Veteran Help As Secondary Questions Still Linger
Virginia Tech added an experienced piece to its defensive backfield with the commitment of South Carolina defensive back D.Q. Smith, giving the Hokies another veteran option as they continue sorting out the secondary. Smith arrives after spending four seasons at South Carolina and also had a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings, though he did not land an NFL contract.
Smiths path to Blacksburg moved quickly once he entered the transfer portal on Aug. 23 and then joined Virginia Tech nine days later, aided by eligibility obtained through a temporary restraining order granted by a Louisiana court. For a Hokies defense still looking for clarity in the back end, the addition brings experience and immediate help, even if the broader picture in the secondary is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Opener Should Answer One Big Hokies Question
Virginia Tech opens the season with a matchup that should give the Hokies a clean early read on where they stand, and there is no bigger piece of that evaluation than the quarterback spot. James Franklin has settled on Ethan Grunkemeyer to lead the offense, and against VMI the Hokies should have a chance to work through the basics while also seeing how the rest of the unit fits around him. SP+ has Virginia Tech heavily favored, projecting a lopsided game, but the more useful takeaway for the coaching staff may be how the offense handles its first live snaps and how the line begins to sort itself out.
On the other side, VMI brings a triple option look under new coach Ashley Ingram, which means Virginia Tech will have to stay disciplined even in a game where it expects to control the action. The Hokies also have some depth questions to monitor as they head into September, along with special teams that were ranked highly in preseason measures. If the opener goes the way projections suggest, it should still tell Virginia Tech plenty about the personnel battles and early-season depth that will matter once the schedule stiffens. [Read more 🡒]