Clemson DT Scott Pagano has surprised everyone by deciding to transfer from Clemson. The redshirt junior graduated in December and will be eligible to play for another school immediately.

No word was given on why he decided to transfer, but despite averaging more snaps per game than last year, Pagano decided his future was elsewhere. It is possible that Pagano believes moving to another program will give him a better opportunity to impress NFL scouts.

For the 2017 season Pagano’s departure is unfortunate, but Clemson is well positioned to replace him. Christian Wilkins, Albert Huggins, and Dexter Lawrence will all play. Ideally someone from Nyles Pickney, Jabril Robinsion, and Sterling Johnson will also be able to contribute at a high level to maintain a quality 2-deep we are used to seeing.

Unfortunately Pagano’s transfer does not give Clemson an additional scholarship in the 2018 recruiting class. He was already set to leave school after the 2017 season. Instead his scholarship will likely go to a senior walk on this year before becoming available for the Class of 2018. That said, this move will also underscore how important it is to bring in some DTs. With only Josh Belk committed at the position Clemson would only have 7 DTs in 2018 assuming no one leaves school early.