Five Tigers named preseason All-Americans by national publication

This week, Phil Steele Magazine released its Preseason All-American teams, and Clemson is well represented. Five Tiger standouts have been named Phil Steele Preseason All-Americans, including redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and …

This week, Phil Steele Magazine released its Preseason All-American teams, and Clemson is well represented.

Five Tiger standouts have been named Phil Steele Preseason All-Americans, including redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and junior defensive end Myles Murphy, both of whom earned first-team All-American nods on Steele’s Defensive All-American Team.

Clemson junior linebacker Trenton Simpson was named a second-team All-American, while redshirt senior offensive tackle Jordan McFadden garnered third-team All-American honors on Steele’s Offensive All-American Team.

Clemson super senior kicker B.T. Potter, meanwhile, was tabbed as a fourth-team All-American on Steele’s Special Teams All-American Team.

A former Top 5 national recruit who made an instant impact, earning Freshman All-America honors from several outlets in 2020 and earning a fourth-team All-American selection from Phil Steele in 2021, Murphy enters 2022 credited with 94 tackles (26.0 for loss), 11.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and three pass breakups in 963 snaps over 25 games (16 starts).

Simpson enters 2022 credited with 110 tackles (18.5 for loss), 10.0 sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 837 snaps over 25 games (15 starts), while Bresee enters this season credited with 48 tackles (9.5 for loss), 5.5 sacks, two pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a safety in 586 defensive snaps over 16 games (14 starts). Prior to being limited to four games last season due to a torn ACL, Bresee became the second ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in Clemson history in 2020, joining Dexter Lawrence (2016).

McFadden enters his third year as a starter in 2022 having played 1,971 career snaps over 42 career games (25 starts). He was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2021 and also collected second-team all-conference honors from the AP, PFF and Phil Steele. The Spartanburg, S.C., native played a team-high 872 offensive snaps over 13 games (all starts) last season, finishing the year as one of only four Clemson offensive or defensive players to start every game. His 872 snaps were the most by a Clemson offensive tackle since 2016 (Mitch Hyatt, 994).

Potter enters 2022 with a 53-of-71 career mark on field goals and a 185-of-186 mark on PATs in 55 career games (40 starts) and also enters 2022 averaging 64.26 yards on 368 career kickoffs with 280 touchbacks. He became Clemson’s school record holder in career field goals of both 40-plus and 50-plus yards in 2021 and enters 2022 ranked fourth in Clemson history in career points by a kicker (344), third in career PATs (185), fourth in career points (344) and seventh in made field goals (53). The Rock Hill, S.C., native became the first player in Clemson history to score 100 points in three different seasons and opened his career converting his first 122 consecutive PATs, a school record.

Clemson opens the 2022 season against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN).

–Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story

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