After Clemson wrapped up its fifth practice of fall camp on Tuesday, Dabo Swinney wasn’t all that interested in heaping much praise on what he’s seen from specific players up to this point.

The head coach made sure to note that players haven’t even donned full pads yet, much less scrimmaged, and Swinney did not want to get into very many specifics when asked if there had been any players who have stood out early in camp.

However, there was one notable exception, with the head coach calling out junior cornerback Ashton Hampton by name.

“That is one guy I will single out — Ashton Hampton,” Swinney said after Tuesday’s practice. “I am really pleased with just his maturity. I think he shows up every day like he is playing in the Super Bowl. That is just the mindset he brings every day and I love it.”

Hampton was one of two corners named to the All-ACC preseason team, joining Syracuse’s Chris Peal. With Aveion Terrell now gone, the 6-foot-2 defensive back now becomes one of the longest-tenured players in Mike Reed’s room, and he’s determined to help the backend of the Clemson defense get back to playing to the standard.

Hampton is one of the holdovers in a secondary that was largely remade through the transfer portal. Senior Elliot Washington came over from Penn State, with sophomore Donovan Starr joining the team after spending a season at Auburn. Corey Myrick and Jerome Carter were added at safety, to go along with returning junior Ronan Hanafin.

While Swinney has been adamant about no players having earned starting roles yet, all of those guys outside of Starr are expected to be at or near the top of the depth chart. Starr’s role is yet to be determined, but he’s been getting some work at nickel.

“I think it has been really good,” Swinney added. “Good cohesion. I think the coaches have done a good job. We have got a mature group with a bunch of competition. We’ve got some nice veteran guys that really care, and we have got some good young talent that is getting better.”

The hope is the new look secondary can help the Tigers’ pass defense rebound from what was a fairly down 2025 season, and Hampton is currently one of the players leading the charge.

“What we are asking them to do at this point, they have bought into, and they are working hard at it.”