Penn State defensive back Elliot Washington II commits to transfer to Clemson
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Penn State Nittany Lions defensive back Elliot Washington II has committed to transfer to the Clemson Tigers, On3 has learned. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Elliot Washington II played his high school football at Venice in Florida. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He had been the 164th-ranked player nationally in that recruiting cycle and the 19th-ranked cornerback in that recruiting cycle.
Coming out of high school, he chose Penn State over Michigan State, Alabama, and Ohio State, among others. At the time, Charles Power shared some insight into Washington.
“Corner prospect that has the physical traits and overall athleticism to close off a side of the field,” Power wrote. “Helped his team to a state championship as a junior.. Excellent straight line/recovery speed. Has some slight hip stiffness and can get stuck in his break. Ran a 10.79 second mark in the 100 meters as a junior. Has a muscular, developed build. Flashes this long speed as a returner on kickoffs and punts. Recovery speed can help bail him out of trouble when his lack of technique is exploited. Has all the physical traits of a high level corner at the next level that can hopefully develop the nuances of the position with more reps and collegiate coaching. Has the positional versatility to play on the boundary or cover in the slot.”
In his three seasons at Penn State, Washington played in a total of 36 games. In that time, he’s made 53 total tackles, of which, 1.5 were tackles for a loss. He also has two career interceptions and nine career passes defended.
It was first reported that Washington would be entering the Transfer Portal in December. That came at the end of a regular season that was widely seen as a disappointment for the Nittany Lions. With national championship aspirations, Penn State went 6-6 in the regular season and fired head coach James Franklin, who later took the Virginia Tech job.
Clemson, similarly, had a season that didn’t quite live up to their College Football Playoff hopes. Now, Dabo Swinney is looking for a way to address where the Tigers came up short. That has included staff changes and, despite some negativity regarding his use of it in the past, the Transfer Portal.
Clemson has already lost eight players to the Transfer Portal. Now, with the addition of Washington, Swinney has taken his first transfer of the cycle. This is after Clemson took three transfers last offseason.
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