At some point, the Clemson football management team will address some concerns on the offensive side. But for now, the Tigers remain focused on retooling the defense. Sunday afternoon, DE CJ Wesley (6-2 240) of Howard announced he had reached a contract agreement with the Tigers for the 2026 season. He’s the ninth Portal pickup for the Tigers, all on the defensive side. Wesley is a native of West Orange, NJ. He played in 26 games over three seasons with the Bison and totaled 47 tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
CJ Wesley bio from Howard
Defense Statistics
| Season | GP | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL-YDS | SACKS-YDS | INT | PD | FF | FR | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 5.5-32 | 5-31 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 26 | 21 | 47 | 7.5-39 | 7-38 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
2024: Redshirted … Did not play.
2023: MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Champion … Competed in eight games, racking up eight total tackles (four solos) and a sack … Made his season debut at Eastern Michigan (Sept. 1), producing a solo tackle … Notched a season-best five total tackles (two solos) in the win over Morehouse College (Sept. 9) … Recorded a sack in the victory over No. 7 North Carolina Central (Nov. 11) … Helped Howard advance to their first ever Cricket Celebration Bowl.
2022: MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Champion … Played six games, finishing with six total tackles (three solos) … Made his collegiate debut against Alabama State (Aug. 27) … Registered a tackle against Hampton (Sept. 3), South Florida (Sept. 10) and North Carolina Central (Nov. 5) … Had a season-high three total tackles (one solo) in the win over South Carolina State (Nov. 12) … Helped Howard earn a share of the MEAC regular season championship, its first since 1993.