A national outlet highlighted some of the most significant transfers in college football this offseason \u2013 those who could make an impact on the 2025 College Football Playoff hunt.<\/p>\n
CBS Sports pegged one transfer portal addition who \u201ccould swing College Football Playoff hopes\u201d<\/a> for each team in the outlet\u2019s post-spring top 25.<\/a><\/p>\n For Clemson, that particular portal pickup, according to CBS Sports, is junior defensive end Will Heldt.<\/p>\n Of course, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound edge rusher joined the Tigers following two productive seasons at Purdue.<\/p>\n CBS Sports\u2019 Chris Hummer chimed in on Heldt and his potential CFP impact for Dabo Swinney\u2019s squad:<\/p>\n \u201cClemson finished last season ranked 59th in pressure rate, well below where you expect the Tigers to sit after finishing fourth, 22nd, 11th and 15th in that category across the last four seasons. Heldt helps address that shortcoming. He posted 10 TFLs and five sacks for Purdue last season and should form one of the best edge rusher duos in the country with T.J. Parker. Plus, Heldt\u2019s presence itself is a bit of a swing factor in the playoff race. He\u2019s the first significant transfer take of Dabo Swinney\u2019s career.\u201d<\/p>\n Heldt played in all 24 games for the Boilermakers from 2023-24, tallying 68 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, five sacks and a fumble recovery across his two seasons.<\/p>\n Last season, he started all 12 games and finished second on the team in tackles for loss and sacks while finishing fourth in tackles. The Carmel, Ind., native posted 2.5 of his 5.0 sacks, and a 16-yard scoop-and-score, in back-to-back games against ranked opponents in Illinois and Oregon.<\/p>\n Heldt, who came to Clemson with two years of eligibility left, was ranked by ESPN at No. 28<\/a>\u00a0among the top 100 players who switched teams in the transfer portal this offseason.<\/p>\n