Clemson Tigers Receiving Plenty of Nods in Preseason All-American, ACC Lists

Nine Tigers made the cut, making a Preseason All-ACC list, with two others making an All-American list.

Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown headlines All-ACC and All-American lists for the Tigers ahead of an exciting junior year. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As we head into the summer, the media is looking at how each team is stacking up from a conference standpoint. The Clemson Tigers are one of those programs. 

College football analyst Phil Steele revealed his picks for the Preseason All-American and All-ACC players, and nine Tigers made the cuts for either of these lists. 

Ahead of an important 2026 season which will see how Clemson measures up after a full transfer period, it brings a lot of optimism. 

Tigers landing on Phil Steele’s preseason All-America and All-ACC teams 🐅 pic.twitter.com/AU3ioUllD5

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) June 13, 2026

For the All-ACC nods, four Tigers on offense got recognition. Of course, the junior wideout duo of Bryant Wesco Jr and T.J. Moore made the list. Wesco was a first-team All-ACC player while Moore made the second-team All-ACC list. 

Two players on the offensive line, which will be restructured with four starters gone from last season. Sophomore Brayden Jacobs was given a second-team honor while senior Collin Sadler got a fourth-team nod. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the list was Jacobs, who filled both tackle and guard spots on the left side of the line while names like Tristan Leigh, Elyjah Thurmon and Collin Sadler went down with injury. Steele even went as far as giving the Milton, Ga., native an All-American honor. Jacobs was put on the fourth team. 

On defense, it was led by Sammy Brown. The linebacker was the other Tiger who was on the All-American list, being a second-team All-American nod to begin his junior campaign. The Commerce, Ga., native was also a first-team All-ACC linebacker. 

The other first-team player was cornerback Ashton Hampton, who will look to be the next shutdown corner that the Clemson defense will be looking for after the departure of Avieon Terrell. He joins Wesco and Brown as the trio of first-team players within the preseason list. 

In his second season with the Tigers, edge rusher Will Heldt will look to build on a strong junior campaign. He was given a second-team all-conference honor after leading Clemson in sacks and tackles for loss in his first season. 

Then, some new faces round out the list. A transfer, Jerome Carter III, received a second-team All-ACC honor. The Old Dominion transfer was tied for the second-most interceptions in the entire country with six. Carter picked up an All-Sun Belt honor in 2025, and he will look to get a Power Four honor after the 2026 season. 

An exciting way to round out the list, sophomore Amare Adams picked up a third-team spot on the All-ACC list. He didn’t play as often as he would’ve liked with names like Stephiylan Green, Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart ahead of him, but he goes into a great foundation that will see him be a potential starter next season. 

Clemson will always have high expectations going into every season, but these players will play critical roles in how far the Tigers can go in 2026.