Five-star wing and Clemson signee Trinity Jones, the No. 11 recruit in the SC Next 100 class of 2026, has been released from her letter of intent. She informed ESPN that her recruitment is officially open, and that she has begun communicating with schools.
Jones initially committed to the Tigers in October over the likes of Tennessee, LSU, TCU, Oklahoma and UCLA. She was the centerpiece of Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie's 2026 recruiting class, which ranked seventh in the nation as of March. She was Poppie's first five-star signee since taking over the program two years ago, and the highest-ranked recruit for Clemson since No. 15 Ruby Whitehorn in 2022.
An explosive, slashing two-way wing with strong defensive chops, she was named a McDonald's All American this season, scoring 10 points at the national showcase earlier this week.
This past season, she averaged 28.5 points and 8.2 rebounds at Naperville Central -- the same high school that produced Hall of Famer Candace Parker -- after returning from an ACL injury that sidelined her for her junior year. She also won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
Clemson went 21-12 in 2024-25 and finished eighth in the ACC before falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing 71-67 in overtime to USC. Leading scorer Mia Moore is one of a handful of seniors expected to depart the program after averaging 13.3 points and finishing as one of only two Clemson players who scored in double figures this season.
Jones was one of five signees in Clemson's top-10 2026 class. While her departure is a significant loss, the Tigers still have a strong nucleus with three SC Next100 recruits in the fold: wing Kimora Fields (No. 27), forward Julia Scott (No. 39) and guard Meeyah Green (No. 50). Clemson is not expected to pursue major additions from the transfer portal, following Jones' decommitment.
