Clemson Tigers Snubbed Out Another Top 50 Ranking

Just because the Clemson football program lost some of its best seniors doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have quality. However, many major publications seem to disagree.

One of those is PFF, which left Clemson out of its best 50 college football players in the country entering the 2026 season. While there were many Big 10 and SEC players that made the majority of the list, the Tigers won’t have any players to note heading into next season.

Yes, there’s argument that the program doesn’t have as much quality compared to last season, one that was led by the likes of Cade Klubnik, Blake Miller and Antonio Williams on offense. Defensively, Peter Woods, T.J. Parker and Avieon Terrell led the defense under Tom Allen.

Now, none are there, but it leaves for opportunity for some of the best players who haven’t gotten the chance to prove themselves yet. Perhaps it will lead to motivation into next season.

One of those is junior standout Sammy Brown, who took the lead role in his first season as a starting linebacker in 2025. Only three players from that position were taken: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa from Notre Dame, Texas’s Rasheem Biles and Texas Tech’s Austin Romaine.

Being one of the most proven linebackers in the country in his first two seasons, a strong Tiger turnaround could change that after a 2026 campaign to remember.

Another name that was left out was edge rusher Will Heldt. Six defensive ends were put on the list but the former Purdue transfer was left out, despite leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss in his first season in 2025.

The wide receiver room inside Clemson in filled with talent, mainly with junior Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore leading the way. Similarly, only four wideouts were selected in the ranking, with the duo having the same type of talent in the country.

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is ranked No. 1 on the list, and understandably so, but some of other names could see contention from Wesco and Moore going into next season. Texas’s Cam Coleman, Rutgers wideout KJ Duff and Miami’s Malachi Toney were the others who made the list.

Especially with Toney coming from an ACC school, the Tigers will be able to see how well their wide receiving corps stacks up to the standout rising sophomore on Oct. 3.

It’s a season where head coach Dabo Swinney has the opportunity to prove plenty of people wrong in 2026, and it will be with a team that doesn’t have much buzz going into. If one thing is for sure, the Clemson head coach does better when less eyes are on him, and that will be the case entering next season.

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