Clemson Tigers Snubbed in Latest Top 100 Players Ranking

A chunk of the Clemson Tigers’ star power was taken away via the transfer portal and NFL Draft during this offseason, but the national consensus might have brought more disrespect to the current roster.

On3 released its top 100 college football players ahead of the 2026 season in terms of impact, and no Tiger was put on the list. It’s a rarity for head coach Dabo Swinney, who typically has some of the best players in the country on his roster.

It’s to be taken with a grain of salt, however, with typical favoritism going towards the top schools in the Big 10 and SEC, although several ACC players are scattered around the rankings, especially the conference favorite, Miami. Florida State, Cal and Louisville are other notable schools with names to watch.

As a rebuttal, here are some Clemson players that I would’ve put on the list of the top 100 impact players:

Sammy Brown, Linebacker

Seven other linebackers are included on this list instead of the rising junior, but he has a resume of being a key contributor since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2024.

He finished in the top 40 of snap counts over the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, being eighth in his tackling grade based on his number of snaps with the Tigers in 2025. The only players above him included the likes of NFL Draft picks like Sonny Styles, CJ Allen and Anthony Hill Jr.

A third-team All-American last year, the only other player that had a better honor than him was Auburn’s Xavier Atkins, and he was 19th on the list. Especially with the second year of Tom Allen running the defense upcoming, Brown should have an even bigger year than that of 2025. Yet, he didn’t receive a mention.

T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., Wide Receiver

10 wide receivers were on this list, and neither Wesco nor Moore were one of them. New offensive coordinator Chad Morris is bringing tempo and deep shots down the field back into the mix, meaning one thing is for certain:

The junior duo will be two of the biggest threats not only in the ACC, but in the country.

A new starting quarterback in Christopher Vizzina means that he’s going to go for the best receivers, which he will see on either side of the field in Wesco and Moore. If Wesco was healthy, he’d probably be on the list after recording 537 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. Unfortunately, a scary neck injury ended his season by October.

Moore led the team in receiving yards (837), making some acrobatic grabs while showing off his yards-after-catch ability down the stretch of the season. He finished with 16.1 yards per catch while Wesco had 17.3 a reception, which was a team-high.

If Clemson’s offense that brought old success is back, even slightly, in 2026, either of these players could be an All-American by the end of the season. However, it will be tough keeping up with the likes of Miami’s Malachi Toney, Texas’s Cam Coleman and Texas A&M’s Mario Craver, who are all on the list.

Will Heldt, Defensive End

Heldt was the leader in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (15.5) on the team in his first season, perhaps showing more growth as his senior season awaits in 2026. Similar to the other three players already mentioned, he could fit into the list that already had 12 edge rushers on the list.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound standout will be the main focus for opposing offensive lines due to the loss of T.J. Parker, but a newly molded defense that features 10 transfers could help give him more highlights next season. Heldt was a third-team All-ACC player last season, and building on what he did in his first season could have him in a better spot than that.

Again, it’s tough to keep up with the likes of Texas’s Collin Simmons and South Carolina’s Dylan Steward, but if he settles into his second season as a Tiger, Heldt could have analysts regretting the decision to leave him out of the top 100.

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