Not one Clemson Tiger made Pro Football Focus’ preseason top 50 college football players list for 2026. Zero.
PFF went with the usual suspects from the Big Ten and SEC, leaving Dabo Swinney and the Tigers on the outside looking in. Not a single Clemson name made the cut, even though this program churns out elite talent every single year.
There’s no shortage of Tigers who deserved a look. Linebacker Sammy Brown, who stepped up as a starter in 2025 and made his presence felt all season, didn’t even get a mention. PFF only found room for three linebackers nationwide—Notre Dame’s Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Texas’s Rasheem Biles, and Texas Tech’s Austin Romaine—leaving Brown and his production on the cutting room floor.
Edge rusher Will Heldt? Nowhere to be found, even though PFF managed to fit six defensive ends into its top 50. Heldt transferred in from Purdue and led the Tigers in sacks and tackles for loss last season. Apparently, that was not enough to catch the national eye.
The Tigers’ wide receiver corps, led by Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore, got the same treatment. PFF picked just four receivers for its list: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith at No. 1, along with Cam Coleman from Texas, KJ Duff from Rutgers, and Malachi Toney from Miami. No love for Clemson’s playmakers.
Clemson will get its shot at Toney and the Hurricanes on Oct. 3, a chance for the Tigers’ receivers to go head-to-head with one of PFF’s chosen few. With the national media sleeping on Swinney’s squad, do not be surprised if Clemson uses this as bulletin board material and proves the doubters wrong this fall.
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