CLEMSON – Just nine months ago, Brayden Jacobs did not think he was good enough to play football at Clemson.

Now, entering his sophomore year, the offensive lineman is pegged to be a 2026 All-American.

As a true freshman, Jacobs appeared in one snap in the Tigers’ 2025 season opener against LSU, helping power running back Adam Randall in for a touchdown, His first real chance at playing time came one week later, when starting left tackle Tristan Leigh was sidelined with an injury.

The five snaps Jacobs contributed against the Temple were, admittedly, not his best. The 355-pounder was called for a holding penalty on his first snap, and then gave up a sack just a few plays later.

“Brayden, man – y’all don’t worry about Brayden,” head coach Dabo 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.”

Despite his coach’s praise, Jacobs battled negative self-talk after the performance. Thoughts of “I’m not good enough,” and “I’m not here for the right reasons,” swirled through the 6-foot-7 athlete’s psyche.

Sensing the doubt, offensive line coach Matt Luke pulled Jacobs, one of only two true freshmen to play, aside for a conversation. Luke could tell that the young player he had recruited to Clemson needed a boost of confidence.

“He was like, ‘I wouldn’t have put you in there if I didn’t believe in you.’ So, I kind of made that my mindset over last season,” Jacobs said in March. “Like, even though that game ended and I didn’t do well in that game, I just took it day by day and tried to master one thing each day.”

Over the next three weeks, Jacobs contributed 23 snaps in two of the Tigers three contests. His breakout moment came one month after the Troy performance, when he played 65 snaps in a win over Boston College. In the victory, Clemson’s offensive line helped the Tigers to both 200 rushing and 200 passing yards.

One week later, he made his first start at left tackle against SMU. The next week, he got the nod again, this time at left guard. Jacobs anchored an injury-ridden line in two more games, before suffering a season-ending injury after a Louisville win on Nov. 19.

“My freshman season was a roller coaster,” Jacobs said. “My first game I ever played in, my first three plays were the worst football plays I’ve ever done. And then, three weeks later, I’m starting at my first game. I started against SMU and then that went great. And then I got moved into guard and got to play basically the rest of the season at guard, which was awesome because now I could show my versatility.”

Three months after his injury, Jacobs stood fully recovered in front of media members after a spring practice, no longer the freshman who desperately needed encouragement. Instead, ahead of his sophomore year, he is now one of the most tenured players in his position room, and can provide younger linemen similar mentorship he once craved after a bad game.

“One of the (younger linemen) that’s near and dear to me is (freshman) Chance Barclay,” Jacobs said. “He came in here for spring. He had one bad practice, got really down on himself. I was telling him, me and Coach were telling him, that’s how I was after the Troy game last year.

“I told him he wouldn’t be here if Coach Luke didn’t believe in him and he just needs to take a deep breath and keep going.”

As the lone offensive All-American projection by college football insider Phil Steele, Jacobs will be tasked with much more than occasional appearances this season, especially after all of the Tigers’ core linemen exhausted their eligibility after the 2025 season. 

The underclassman will be tasked with anchoring a line to support a new quarterback, and as a presumed starter, he will be one of the architects of keeping his young position group together, on and off the field.

“I felt them growing together, you know, obviously we got Brayden back,” offensive coordinator Chad Morris said. “That’s been good to see at that left tackle position and and again, they’ve all kind of seem like they’ve gotten in a sync together.”

Jacobs will get his second crack at playing time in a season-opener on Sept. 5, when the Tigers open their season against LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

Along with Harris Sewell and Elyjah Thurmon, he will be the only offensive lineman to play the LSU Tigers twice in the home-and-home series.