Clemson's Football Recruiting Class Receives Modest Ranking From ESPN

The Clemson Tigers still have one of the better recruiting classes in these rankings, but they missed the mark where they typically aim

Clemson managed to garner a respectable but underwhelming by their standards recruiting class | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a season that tested patience and shot down expectations, the Clemson Tigers have planted some exciting seeds for the future

With several key starters departing for the NFL Draft, some young players will have the opportunity to make an early impact next season.

On Early Signing Day, Clemson secured commitments from several of the nation’s top prospects, offering optimism that the program can rebound from a down year and reassert itself as a contender.

According to ESPN’s recruiting rankings, the Tigers finished with a top-20 class nationally and the fourth-best class in the ACC.

ESPN’s Craig Haubert explained that despite Clemson’s disappointing season, they managed to land some exciting prospects.

“The Tigers are using recruiting to continue their chase of the heights of their mid-2010s success under Dabo Swinney,” Haubert said. “Despite some on-field struggles, their 2026 group is looking more promising.”

Based on ESPN’s rankings, four-star offensive tackle signee Leo Delaney is Clemson’s highest-rated prospect, while fellow four-stars Naeem Burroughs (wide receiver) and Kentavion Anderson (defensive back) round out the top three.

“Much of the talent is currently concentrated on offense,” Haubert said. “Naeem Burroughs is a burner in the 100-meter dash who can take the top off a defense and has a high football IQ.”

With offensive line starters Walker Parks, Blake Miller, Tristan Leigh and Ryan Linthicum all out of remaining eligibility, the Tigers put a primary emphasis on reloading their offensive line. 

In this recruiting class, Clemson signed five ESPN Top 300 offensive linemen: Delaney, four-star guard Grant Wise, four-star tackle Carter Scruggs, four-star Chancellor Barclay and four-star tackle Adam Guthrie, the most the program has landed since 2020.

Another immediate issue is at quarterback. With Cade Klubnik playing his final game as a Tiger later in the month, Clemson also made it a point to land a pair of signal-callers as the search for a new quarterback begins.

Four-star quarterback Tait Reynolds out of Arizona is the highest-ranked out of the two, while three-star Brock Bradley just wrapped up an illustrious career as Spain Park High School’s all-time wins leader at the position

Swinney explained that Clemson has taken a very particular approach to recruiting the position, and it’s paid off up to this point.

“If you track how we’ve recruited quarterbacks since I’ve been the head coach, you know, we were very, very diligent,” he said. “We do a lot of due diligence… These two guys fit everything I was looking for in the position. And that’s Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds.”