14-05-2025
Where Clemson lands in ESPN, experts' updated 2026 college football recruiting rankings
Where Clemson lands in ESPN, experts' updated 2026 college football recruiting rankings
ESPN college football recruiting analyst Craig Haubert updated his class of 2026 recruiting rankings on Wednesday.
For the Clemson Tigers, no news is good news as Dabo Swinney's 2026 class holds at No. 5 overall in ESPN's recruiting rankings. Wide receiver Naeem Burroughs remains ESPN's top-ranked offensive recruit for Clemson, while defensive tackle Kameron Cody is ranked the Tigers' top defensive recruit.
Burroughs, a four-star recruit out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, is ranked the sixth best receiver in the 2026 class and the No. 48 player overall by On3.
On3 ranks Cody, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman out of Benedict Military School in Savannah (Ga.) the 33rd best defensive lineman in the 2026 class.
Clemson ranks behind the USC Trojans, who top the industry's 2026 recruiting rankings at No. 1, with Ohio State at No. 2 and Notre Dame at No. 3. Penn State moved into the top five at No. 4 in ESPN's rankings while the team the Nittany Lions replaced in the top five, the LSU Tigers, dropped six spots to No. 10. LSU recently lost four-star receiver Jakai Anderson, who flipped to SMU over the weekend.
Where do Clemson rivals sit in 2026 football recruiting rankings?
Within the ACC, the Syracuse Orange are the only other ACC program to crack ESPN's top 10 at No. 7. Fran Brown, entering his second year at Syracuse after guiding the school to a 10-win season in 2024, won recruiting battles in Florida against Florida State, USF and others for Top 100 EDGE Kamron Wilson and Top 100 OT Javeion Cooper. ESPN lists Cooper and Wilson as Syracuse's top recruits for 2026.
Miami moved up five spots to No. 12 in ESPN's updated rankings after landing Jackson Cantwell, a five-star offensive tackle from Missouri that's ranked the nation's No. 1 overall player in 247Sports' Composite Recruiting Rankings.
North Carolina and first-year coach Bill Belichick land just below Miami at No. 13, while Louisville is No. 14. Further back, Florida State lands at No. 18.
Where Clemson football ranks in 247Sports, On3 recruiting rankings for 2026
247Sports : No. 5 nationally, 0 five-stars, 6 four-stars, 8 three-stars.
: No. 5 nationally, 0 five-stars, 6 four-stars, 8 three-stars. On3 : No. 10 nationally, 0 five-stars, 10 four-stars, 4 three-stars.
: No. 10 nationally, 0 five-stars, 10 four-stars, 4 three-stars. Rivals: No. 4 nationally, 0 five-stars, 10 four-stars, 4 three-stars.
Clemson football 2026 commitments
Clemson has 14 total commitments in its 2026 recruiting class as of May 14.
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