Ranking Every Clemson Tigers Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth

The Clemson Tigers saw a large chunk of their program change during the 2026 offseason, whether it was players leaving for the NFL Draft or hitting the transfer portal. 

Head coach Dabo Swinney has a lot of new personnel, whether through recruiting or throughout this past portal cycle. He will have plenty of eyes on him after the overhaul, which also included new offensive coordinator Chad Morris. 

As we head into the summer, let’s take a look at the 12 position groups and rank them by depth and talent within the room. The offensive line will be split up by interior and tackles, the defensive line will be split between edge rushers and linemen and specialists will be put into one group. 

Bold denotes expected starter to begin 2026. 

1. Wide Receiver

• T.J. Moore
• Bryant Wesco Jr. 
• Tyler Brown
• Gordon Sellars III
• Tristan Smith*
• Cole Turner
• Naeem Burroughs 
• Juju Preston
• Connor Salmin

Year in and year out, position coach Tyler Grisham punches above his level for wide receiver talent. In 2026, he will have an embarrassment of riches once again. 

Moore and Wesco are a duo that could play at an All-American level this season if both remain healthy. The two have been out for the spring due to injury conflicts that stemmed from last season. As a result, it’s caused the mid-year enrollees, Sellars, Burroughs and Salmin, to see more first-team snaps throughout the spring. 

Names like Brown have something to prove, leading the team in receiving yards in 2023 as a true freshman. If those flashes come back from the Greenville native, it immediately raises the floor of this room. However, there’s a lot to like with the receiving corps heading into this season. 

2. Safety

• Jerome Carter III
• Corey Myrick
• Ronan Hanafin
• Polo Anderson
• Noah Dixon
• Kylen Webb
• Kylon Griffin

In what was one of the worst position groups in 2025, defensive coordinator Tom Allen hit the transfer portal and got what he needed: two starting-caliber safeties. 

Myrick and Carter could both play at the All-ACC level if they continue to play like they’ve been talking about this spring. If either of them is struggling, they will have Anderson, a true freshman, getting reps at the position, and he’s been raved about over his first months as a Tiger. 

Names like Griffin and Hanafin have shown how great they can be at the position, but busted coverages from last season tarnish the value at the position. Hanafin could still grow, converting from wide receiver to safety halfway through his college career. Dixon and Webb could be rising contributors in 2026 as well. 

It’s a massive jump, but three new faces in the room have Clemson’s safety room looking like one of the most complete on the team. 

3. Edge Rusher

• Will Heldt
• Jahiem Lawson
• London Merritt
• C.J. Wesley
• Darien Mayo
• Ari Watford
• Armon Mason

Heldt was the biggest defensive piece to return for his senior season, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss last season. Opposite him will most likely be Lawson to start the year, being his first true season to shine without somebody ahead of him. 

Allen did bring in two transfers, Wesley and Merritt, to add more competition, though. Merritt was a Freshman All-American last season and brings tremendous upside to the group. The two should both rotationally be on the field to start the season, but if either of them has a big game early, a starting role wouldn’t be out of the question. 

Underclassmen like Mayo and Watford have shone this summer, making enormous strides to bring more competition to the group. The starters are polished, and the depth pieces are young and hungry. It makes many reasons why the edge rushers are a top-three position group for Clemson. 

4. Interior Offensive Line

• Elyjah Thurmon
• Harris Sewell
• Collin Sadler
• Dietrich Pennington
• Gavin Blachard
• Ronan O’Connell
• Grant Wise
• Chance Barclay
• Carter Scruggs
• Leo Delaney

“Cross-training” is a word that Swinney loves to use, and mostly all of these players on this last are trained to play any position on the line. However, the interior shines with the promising depth that it is. 

Sewell, Sadler and Thurmon are all seasoned veterans at this point, with Sewell being the team’s center next season. Names like Blanchard and O’Connell both bring something to prove as rotational pieces. 

As for the freshmen, the bottom four on the list are all in the top 40 at the position from the class of 2026, according to On3. Don’t be surprised if any of them break through the rotation this season, which has a great possibility of happening. 

5. Running Back

• Gideon Davidson
• Chris Johnson Jr. 
• Jay Haynes
• David Eziomume 
• Jarvis Green

Honestly, every running back on that list has the opportunity to get starting reps, all having a moment to remember throughout their time as a Tiger. The only exception, of course, if Johnson, a SMU transfer, but he ran in for a rushing touchdown when the Mustangs played at Memorial Stadium last October. 

Morris wants a two-back rushing offense, meaning that Davidson won’t be the bell-cow tailback like Adam Randall was last season. Johnson brings speed, while guys like Haynes and Green could make plays out of the backfield in different ways. Eziomume is a powerful runner who could be a late-down back as well, if needed. 

Expect at least two of these running backs to break out in 2026. If it were my guess, it would be Davidson and Haynes. 

6. Tight End

• Christian Bentancur
• Olsen Patt-Henry
• Logan Brooking
• Charlie Johnson
• Tayveon Wilson

Athletically, this room is one of the best that Swinney has had at the position. Bentancur is a breakout candidate who could be an All-ACC tight end by the end of the season. On the other hand, Patt-Henry is one of the team’s best blockers who has strong hands to catch passes. 

Brooking could see some snaps as well, showing promise with a receiving touchdown against Furman back in November. Overall, the room is filled with talent, and we will see some breakouts in 2026. 

7. Cornerback

• Elliot Washington II
• Ashton Hampton
• Corian Gipson
• Donovan Starr
• Branden Strozier
• Myles Oliver
• Marcell Gipson Jr. 

Losing Avieon Terrell is a big piece to fill, but based on talks throughout camp, Washington is expected to be that shutdown corner going into 2026. If Hampton takes another step in his junior year, he could be a candidate to be a first-team All-ACC cornerback this season as well. 

The duo of Gipson and Strozier has one overarching question: can they take the next step in their respective games? If so, one of them could lock up that nickel “TIGER” position. Starr, an Auburn transfer, could also be in the cards to do that as well with his blazing speed. 

We just don’t know if any of these players can live up to the hype of the first-round NFL Draft prospect Terrell was, and if secondary issues remain a constant in 2026, this group would be the culprit early on. 

8. Specialists

• Kicker - Nolan Hauser
• Kickoff Specialist - Robert Gunn III
• Punter - Jack Smith
• Kick Returner - Chris Johnson Jr. 
• Punt Returner - Bryant Wesco Jr. 

Most of the specialists remain constant, but consistency will be the key for some of them next season. Hauser has had a spring to forget, and if he continues to underperform, Gunn could be the team’s placekicker by the middle of the season. We remember what happened in 2023 when that last happened, though. 

Smith had an excellent first season at punter, and I expect his final season to be the same this fall. As for specialists, Johnson and Wesco bring great speed and hands that could make the group a force on special teams. Consistency will remain the key with this group, and I think it’s a little more shaky than I wished to be. 

9. Interior Defensive Linemen

• Markus Strong
• Vic Burley
• Amare Adams 
• Champ Thompson
• Andy Burburija
• Kourtney Kelly
• Devarrick Woods
• Patrick Swygert

Losing Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart was huge. Losing Stephiylan Green to LSU was even tougher. However, Allen has a physical group on the interior that has the opportunity to prove how good the room can be. 

Strong brings College Football Playoff-level experience, while names like Burley and Adams are looking for something to prove as former five-stars. Adding JUCO stars like Burburija and Woods is helpful, but they are unproven. 

The quality in the room is strong; they just haven’t proven it just yet. I’m excited to see who breaks out within this group come this fall, but it’s difficult to determine who it is, though. 

10. Quarterback

• Christopher Vizzina
• Tait Reynolds
• Trent Pearman
• Chris Denson
• Brock Bradley

Because previous quarterback Cade Klubnik nearly ever missed a game, there’s a lack of experience in the room, with most seeing either a few series here and there or none at all. 

Vizzina is the only player who has recorded a start, SMU, and he performed quite well. The unprovenness as a permanent starting quarterback is the reason for the group being this low. However, he will have the tools to succeed if he puts it all together. 

Reynolds has potential, but again, he’s unproven at the Power Four level. Denson, Bradley and Pearman would be reserve players, but lack of experience is the kicker here. There will be growing pains with this group, but it will be a lot better by the time the season ends. 

11. Linebacker

• Sammy Brown
• Kobe McCloud
• Jeremiah Alexander
• C.J. Kubah-Taylor
• Fletcher Cothran
• Brayden Reilly

Losing Luke Ferrelli to Ole Miss was the main thing that kept this position group from being higher on this list, especially with a player of Brown's quality in the room. Similar to the others at this rank, it’s unproven. 

McCloud is the expected starter alongside him, and Allen has spoken highly of the linebacker. However, competition behind him is slim, whether you would want to go with Alexander, Cothran, a former walk-on, or a true freshman in Reilly. Especially if one of the starters go down, I’m curious to see who Allen would go with. 

There’s something to prove with this group, and they know it, too, from hearing them in press conferences. Go show it and prove me wrong. 

12. Offensive Tackles

• Brayden Jacobs
• Easton Ware
• Mason Wade
• Ian Reed
• Tucker Kattus
• Braden Wilmes

Clemson lost both ends of the line this past season with Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller. The duo played over 500 snaps each last season, and that experience will be severely missed. 

Behind them, not a lot of experience, being a developmental year for many of these players above. Jacobs is probably the team’s best tackle only as a true sophomore. He did get hurt last season, but he played over 150 snaps at both left tackle and guard in his first season. 

On the right, it will be a competition between Ware and Wade. Both don’t have many snaps under their belts, but learning behind Miller for several seasons will surely help on the right side. However, with this group as a whole, expect plenty of growing pains for many of these pieces. 

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