Andrew Mukuba reveals how Clemson coaches reacted to his decision to transfer

Safety Andrew Mukuba spent three years at Clemson, before entering the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Prior to leaving the Tigers program, he spoke with the Clemson coaching staff about his choice. Mukuba recently shared with the Behind The Facemask podcast how Clemson coaches reacted to the news.

“Yea, I mean obviously no coach wants to hear that one of their players is about to leave for whatever reason, but I feel like it was a conversation that needed to be had, just because this is my future and this is something that’s going to affect me,” Andrew Mukuba said. “But I don’t think they really seen it from that perspective.”

Mukuba was a Freshman All-American at Clemson in 2021, finishing the year with 54 tackles and nine pass breakups while appearing in all 13 games, with 10 starts.

He had up-and-down seasons in 2022 and 2023, while battling injuries, before opting to transfer. Despite Clemson coaches not being thrilled about the move, Mukuba insists there’s no bad blood.

“I mean, I understand they’re coaches. They obviously want me to stay there and help them win ball games and do all that other cool stuff,” he said. “But I felt like it was time for me to make the decision for myself, which I know was best for me.

“So I mean, at the end of the day, they were understanding. They obviously supported me through the whole thing. I’ve still got a relationship with those coaches. It ain’t like no bad blood or anything.”

Andrew Mukuba on leaving Clemson: ‘I just felt like I wasn’t really getting better’

Andrew Mukuba considered committing to Texas out of high school, before ultimately going to Clemson and playing three seasons for the Tigers.

He is now in Austin, playing for the Longhorns, after transferring to Texas this offseason. Mukuba recently joined the “Behind the Facemask” podcast and explained his decision to transfer from Clemson to Texas.

“My time there at Clemson, I just felt like I wasn’t really like getting better,” Andrew Mukuba said. “I wasn’t being pushed enough to where I could reach my potential, my peak. I feel like the program wasn’t where it needed to be for me and the whole team to be successful.

“So I felt like, after my junior year, it was always the same thing. So I felt like after that, it was only right for me to transfer, and Texas was one of the schools that I was definitely looking at.”