The Clemson football team is set to return plenty of top-tier talent for the 2022 season.
Pro Football Focus recently released its rankings of the top 10 returning players at every position for 2022, and a slew of Tigers made the lists.
Rising redshirt senior offensive tackle Jordan McFadden appeared at No. 4 on PFF’s list of the top 10 returning offensive tackles in college football.
“McFadden has produced at a high level in the collegiate ranks,” PFF college football analyst Anthony Treash wrote. “The 2018 three-star recruit owns single-season PFF grades of 88.3, 83.5 and 87.4 over the last three years serving as a reserve, starting right tackle then starting left tackle. He’s played 1,963 snaps over the course of his career and has only been flagged for two penalties. McFadden took his pass protection to new heights this past season, as he allowed zero pressures in over half of his games played en route to a career-best 84.7 pass-blocking grade.”
Rising junior defensive tackle Bryan Bresee checked in at No. 2 on PFF’s list of the top 10 returning interior defensive linemen in college football.
“Bresee was a prime breakout candidate in his 2021 true sophomore season, but a torn ACL in his fourth game of the year derailed that,” Treash wrote. “The 2020 No. 1 overall recruit played 582 snaps his first two years on campus and earned a 70.8 PFF grade anchored by a 79.8 mark as a pass-rusher. And most of that production came in his true freshman campaign while nearly a quarter of his rushes were with only three men.
“The 6-foot-5, 300-pound interior defender is the total package from a tools perspective and should continue on the breakout path in 2022 with a clean bill of health.”
Rising junior defensive end Myles Murphy is ranked No. 9 on PFF’s list of the top 10 returning edge defenders in college football, while rising fifth-year senior defensive end Xavier Thomas is ranked right behind Murphy at No. 10.
“Murphy showed up to campus as the No. 7-ranked recruit overall in the 2020 class and never wavered with the upgrade in competition — he posted PFF grades of 85.2 and 79.2 as a true freshman and sophomore,” Treash wrote.
“The 6-foot-5, 275-pound edge defender has been at his best against the run. Since 2020, his PFF run-defense grade ranks first among Power Five edge defenders, just edging out Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr.”
Added Treash of Thomas:
“A long battle with COVID-19 disrupted Thomas’ 2020 junior year, but he still managed to play 119 snaps in what was supposed to be a bounce-back season after a sophomore slump in 2019. The 2018 No. 3 overall recruit went from an 83.4 PFF grade as a freshman to a 69.8 mark the year after.
“Thomas got back on the right track this past season, earning a 76.7 pass-rush grade and 18.7% pass-rush win rate, 11th and fourth, respectively, among returning Power Five edge defenders.
“What’s most encouraging about his performance this past season is his true pass-rush grade was nearly 25 grading points higher than the last time we saw him consistently on the field in 2019.”
Rising junior linebacker Trenton Simpson, meanwhile, is ranked No. 3 among PFF’s top 10 returning off-ball linebackers in college football.
“Simpson is one of the best athletes at the position at 6-foot-3, 225-pounds,” Treash wrote. “His verified testing numbers in high school in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and pro agility were comparable to the 80th-90th percentile among NFL combine athletes. Former defensive coordinator Brent Venables took advantage of Simpson’s physical gifts in his blitz packages. The off-ball linebacker recorded an 88.3 pass-rush grade while racking up seven sacks, 13 hits and 11 hurries. Simpson was one of the 10 highest-graded players at the position in the Power Five from Week 4 on last season and is poised for an even bigger leap next fall.”
Last but not least, rising sophomore safety Andrew Mukuba came in at No. 5 on PFF’s list of the top 10 returning safeties in college football for the 2022 season.
“Mukuba looked far from a true freshman in 2021,” Treash wrote. “He is an all-around athlete who isn’t afraid of physicality, already one of the top tackling safeties in college football. He missed only three tackles on 48 attempts and finished with 75.0-plus grades both against the run and in coverage. Mukuba tallied a 77.5 PFF grade for the season.
“A mid-year lull led to him getting moved down to a reserve role, but he regained the starting job by the season’s end and his strong play returned.”
The top-10 players returning in college football at every position ⬇️https://t.co/yYa5iFJBwj
— PFF (@PFF) January 24, 2022
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