Not all transfer portal exits have dramas around them. Some happen peacefully and diplomatically. After transferring to the Clemson Tigers from the Oklahoma Sooners, defensive lineman Markus Strong revealed how his Oklahoma Sooners’ head coach, Brent Venables, and his assistants handled his departure.

“He knew what we all kinda knew. I talked to my coach, Todd Bates, and Chavis, mostly them two, because they came from here as well,” Strong revealed in an interview on the ClemsonTigerNet YouTube channel. “Like, coach Chavis played here in the early 2010s. So, it’s like I know where he’s going to come from. They kept it straight, but they kept it real, so all of that just made it an easier decision for me.”

A key factor that worked in his favor, as he noted, was the relationship some of his coaches had with Clemson. Interestingly, the head coach, the defensive tackles coach, and the defensive ends coach of the Oklahoma Sooners all had previous ties with the Clemson Tigers. In fact, they all left the Clemson Tigers to take up roles with the Sooners. Strong happens to be a huge beneficiary of the relationship between Brent Venables and his new coach, the $115 million man, Dabo Swinney. 

Markus Strong relied on his coaches’ relationship with the Clemson Tigers to make what he hopes will be a favorable move for him. There is a clear idea that Strong has a good relationship with his coaches, who are firmly behind his move to Clemson.

Just before his move to Oklahoma, Venables worked under Swinney as the defensive coordinator of the Clemson Tigers, where he won the 2016 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. Sooners’ defensive ends coach, Miguel Chavis, also played for the Clemson Tigers between 2007 and 2010 and worked in a defensive player development role between 2017 and 2021. Coach Todd Bates joined Clemson in 2017 as the defensive line coach and added recruiting coordinator duties in 2020. 

“I definitely talked to Coach V [Venables]. He’s like him and Swinney; they’ve both had talks about me,” Strong said. “Like ‘what am I getting from this kid,’ and they kept it real with them, and it’s like they know what they’re going to get coming from me. It was complete transparency with them.”

Strong’s move to Clemson was fueled by his desire to play a more significant role in his team. With the Sooners, he felt like he wasn’t being utilized in a way he wanted to be and wanted to push “to the next level.”

“What I wanted coming in is for someone to push me to the extreme because I want to go to the next level,” he said. “So, that’s what I wanted coming in: he treats me like a freshman, just like I wanted him to. So, he comes in, he pushes me, and it’s complete transparency.”

The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder logged seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and a safety in 2025, bringing his career totals to 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks. He was Oklahoma’s DT5 last season, and with the exit of Gracen Halton and Damonic Williams due to ineligibility, he was set for more game time in Oklahoma before his move. 

Markus Strong’s goals for the Clemson Tigers

Markus Strong was not hesitant at all after his visit to Clemson. His mind was made up almost immediately. He sees a lot of similarities between the coaching staff in Clemson and those in Oklahoma and has a vision for his new program.

“It’s straight to business,” Strong said. When we’re on the field, it’s time to lock in. We’re going to get it down, get it done, and that’s how we’re going to do it.”

Strong made the College Football Playoff with the Oklahoma Sooners last year, and that is the least he expects from the Clemson Tigers in the coming season.

“A playoff run for them is something I expect for us,” he said. “We had that last year. I expect the same thing here. It’s that mentality like, “We got to go get this, go earn it.”

Markus Strong joins a Clemson side looking for revival after losing five regular-season games for the first time since 2010, losing four of those games at home. They finished the regular season 7-5 and lost the Pinstripe Bowl 10-22 to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Regardless, a rebound is expected from Swinney, whose 187-53 record has brought him nine ACC Championships and two national championships in 17 seasons.