Clemson dismisses freshman RB Marquise Henderson

Clemson has dismissed true freshman Marquise Henderson, the program announced. He was preparing to arrive as a four-star recruit.

Clemson wished Henderson “the best as he moves forward,” according to a statement. No reason was given for the decision.

“Clemson has made the decision to dismiss Marquise Henderson from its program,” the school said in a statement. “We wish him the best as he moves forward.”

Henderson played high school football at Anderson (S.C.) Belton-Honea Path, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 161 overall player and No. 11-ranked running back out of the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3’s evaluators were higher on Henderson, ranking him as the No. 152 overall player and No. 8-ranked running back in the On300 Rankings.

At Belton-Honea Path, Henderson led the program to the 2024 state semifinals and had nearly 8,000 total yards across 47 career games. He had 6,369 career rushing yards at the time he signed with Clemson, averaging 11 yards per rush on 577 career carries.

Marquise Henderson was the fourth-highest rated player from Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class. The headliner of the group is five-star defensive lineman Amare Adams, who comes in as the No. 27 overall player and top-ranked prospect in the state of South Carolina, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Clemson is looking to build off an impressive 2024 season, which ended with an ACC title and a College Football Playoff appearance. It was also a breakout year for Cade Klubnik at quarterback, and he’s back for another go-round with the Tigers with hopes of improving his NFL Draft stock.

Klubnik continues to develop under Garrett Riley as the two enter their third season together in Dabo Swinney’s program. He told On3’s Andy Staples he wants to keep getting better, and development was a priority as he took his talents to the next level.

“I’m kind of the epitome of the word development,” Klubnik said. “When I was coming out of high school, I wanted to go win and go to a great culture. But overall, I wanted to leave that school better than when I got there. I was good my freshman year. I wasn’t very good my sophomore year, but I just stuck with it. And what Clemson has done is develop me. They’ve gotten me better.”