3 Opposing Players Clemson Can't Afford to Ignore vs. California

The Clemson Tigers rallied for a comeback win in their ACC opener, edging North Carolina and eight-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Belichick 28-20.

The game showcased both the worst and the best football we've seen from the program this year, but with the win secured, attention now turns to a handful of standout players Clemson will face when they take on a 2-1 Cal squad.

With that being said, Clemson Tigers on SI has created a list of three opposing players — and an honorable mention — that the Tigers cannot afford to ignore entering the Week 4 matchup.

Wide Receiver Corps (Honorable Mention)

Sep 5, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Ian Strong (9) during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Starting us off, we have our honorable mention in the Golden Bears' wide receiver corps. The sole reason they didn't officially make the list is that no single player in the room stood out; all of them did.

Cal boasts the No. 14 passing offense in the country, averaging 321.7 yards per game through the air for 965 yards on the season. Rutgers transfer Ian Strong and Ohio transfer Chase Hendricks have accounted for almost half of those numbers, combining for a total of 34 receptions, 401 yards and two touchdowns.

Other notable pass-catchers include: WR Kyion Grayes (101 yards, 1 TD), TE Mason Mini (96 yards, 1 TD), Oregon transfer WR Cooper Perry (76 yards, 1 TD) and WR Jordan King (52 yards, 1 TD).

Even though he's a running back, Adam Mohammed, whom we'll go over later, has also displayed impressive pass-catching skills to start the year, recording 14 receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown.

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Sep 19, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) prepares to pass the football against the Wagner Seahawks during the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I mean, how else could we start this list without mentioning Sagapolutele?

As most should know, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound signal caller broke out last season as a true freshman for the Golden Bears after beating out Ohio State transfer Devin Brown in fall camp.

Across 13 starts, he completed 64% of his passes for 3,454 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added four more scores on the ground. By season's end, Sagapolutele finished sixth nationally in total passing attempts and 18th in passing yards, earning On3 True Freshman All-American honors.

Now, he has even more weapons at his disposal, as mentioned, and has already put up 866 passing yards and seven touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. His pair of interceptions comes from a 45-24 loss to UCLA in Week 1, but even then, he threw for nearly 300 yards.

Entering the contest, the sophomore is a prime focus, with Clemson starting safety Jerome Carter recently detailing what makes him such a hard matchup.

"Just his ability to make throws [and] keep the play alive," he said on Tuesday. "We're just going to have to stay in coverage. Just be disciplined all around on defense; do our job."

S Kingston Lopa

Sep 12, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; California Golden Bears defensive back Kingston Lopa (2) returns an interception for a touchdown during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Similar to Sagapolutele, this list just wouldn't be accurate if Lopa, a breakout redshirt sophomore, weren't on here.

The 6-foot-5 defensive back spent his first two years at Oregon, where he totaled 13 tackles, one sack and one pass deflection before following defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who took the vacant head coaching job with the Golden Bears over the offseason.

Since making his transfer, Lopa has hit the ground running, totaling 16 tackles, one for a loss, five interceptions and one pass deflection across three starts. His best performance came against Syracuse in Week 2, logging three interceptions and the game-winning pick-six to seal a 21-18 win.

Lopa currently leads the country in total interceptions and interceptions per game, with 1.67. Moreover, he's allowed just four catches for 69 yards.

Ahead of the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is making sure to prepare his team for a defense featuring talent like Lopa and a plethora of others, saying Tuesday that the Tigers have "studied Oregon a lot."

RB Adam Mohammed

Sep 12, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; California Golden Bears running back Adam Mohammed (24) runs with the ball between Syracuse Orange defensive back Nazir Ward (7) and linebacker Chris D'Appolonia (6) and defensive lineman Dillan Fontus (95) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rounding out the list is Washington transfer Adam Mohammed, whom we mentioned earlier.

After spending 2025 as a backup behind now-Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman, totaling 523 yards and five touchdowns on 106 attempts, he decided to make the switch to Cal.

To begin this season, it's clearly played out well for the junior, as he's totaled 285 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. And again, he's already having a career year through the air, averaging almost 10 yards per reception.

Mohammed ranks second in the ACC in attempts, trailing only Duke's Nate Sheppard, and fourth in rushing yards, behind Sheppard, Florida State's Ousmane Kromah and Georgia Tech's Justice Haynes.

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