Clemson true freshman offensive lineman Brayden Jacobs had a tough series during the eighth-ranked Tigers’ 27-16 win over Troy on Saturday at Death Valley.
With starting left tackle Tristan Leigh out, Jacobs came in for Clemson at left tackle early in the second quarter. The 6-foot-7, 355-pounder was called for a holding penalty on his first snap and also allowed a sack a few plays later.
But Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t worried about the talented frosh.
“Brayden, man – y’all don’t worry about Brayden,” Swinney said during his postgame press conference. “He’s getting a chance to play, and obviously he gave up a sack, had a couple missed plays there. But man, that kid cares so much.”
Swinney had very high praise for Jacobs, who enrolled at Clemson in January, with Swinney saying the former unanimous four-star prospect is “as good a lineman as we’ve ever signed here.”
“That kid is special, and he’ll learn from that,” Swinney said. “He just didn’t set right, didn’t use the right footwork, didn’t stay on his inside half. There’s a lot of things that he’ll improve from. But he’s going to be a great one.”
Swinney added that he “felt so bad” for Jacobs after Saturday’s game.
“Because it means a lot to him,” Swinney said. “But he’s gotta play. He’s gotta play. He’ll learn from it, he’ll grow from it, and he’s gonna be one special guy around here for a long time.”
Jacobs, who was ranked as the nation’s No. 55 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports, had plenty of college options but chose Clemson over LSU, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina, among many others.
Jacobs made his college debut in Clemson’s season opener against LSU. He played one snap in the contest, serving as a sixth lineman to help power Adam Randall into the end zone on fourth and goal.
Jacobs is the son of Brandon Jacobs, who played at Auburn and Southern Illinois before a nine-year NFL career in which he amassed more than 5,000 rushing yards. Brandon spent the majority of his career with the New York Giants, where he was a two-time Super Bowl champion and is the Giants all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns.