Clemson is back in Phil Steele’s preseason spotlight, landing at No. 24 in his 2026 top 25 and giving Dabo Swinney’s team another national marker before the season even kicks off.
The Tigers are tucked into a crowded neighborhood in Steele’s rankings, sitting just behind Florida at No. 23 and just ahead of Florida State at No. 25.
SMU checks in at No. 22, but the games that will really grab Clemson fans are the ones against the Gators and Seminoles. Those matchups stand out immediately on a schedule that already looks brutal.
Steele’s preseason list also gives the ACC plenty of respect, with four league teams cracking the top 25. Miami leads the conference at No. 9 under Mario Cristobal, and Clemson gets two shots at ranked ACC competition during the regular season. Those games could go a long way toward sorting out the league race.
The first big one comes on October 3, when No. 9 Miami visits Death Valley for its first trip to Clemson since 2022.
Then on Halloween, the Tigers head to Tallahassee for a primetime showdown with No. 25 Florida State.
That one has the feel of a game that could help decide who gets to play for the ACC crown.
The nonconference slate is no picnic either. Clemson opens the 2026 season on the road against No.
21 LSU, a heavyweight test right out of the gate. And when the regular season closes, the Tigers will meet South Carolina in the Palmetto Bowl, with the Gamecocks sitting at No.
- Those are the kind of games that tell you plenty about where a team stands.
The preseason recognition didn’t stop with the team ranking. Sammy Brown earned Second-Team All-America honors, while offensive lineman Brayden Jacobs was named to the Fourth-Team All-America list.
Clemson also placed nine players on Phil Steele’s preseason All-ACC teams. Brown was the headliner as a First-Team selection, joined there by sophomore corner Ashton Hampton and junior receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.
Jacobs, wideout T.J. Moore, defensive lineman Will Heldt and safety Jerome Carter were all tabbed for Second-Team All-ACC honors. Offensive lineman Collin Sadler and defensive tackle Amare Adams rounded out the Tigers’ preseason recognition with Third-Team selections.
The schedule is loaded from top to bottom. Clemson will face LSU, Miami, Florida State and South Carolina, with North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech also listed as teams capable of springing an upset. Charleston Southern is the lone FCS opponent and the only team not ranked in Steele’s FBS index.
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Clemson Fans Wont Like How Little Respect Vizzina Is Getting
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Dabo Swinney has said Vizzina is currently leading the quarterback battle, though freshman Tait Reynolds is still in the mix, which means nothing is fully settled yet. Clemson will find out quickly what that means, with the opener at LSU looming as the kind of stage where Vizzina can start changing the conversation if he wants to be viewed like a top-tier ACC quarterback. [Read more 🡒]