Snap Counts, PFF Grades from Clemson’s Loss to Miami
By: Jason Priester October 6, 2026

CLEMSON — Clemson once again saw its offense struggle against a high-quality opponent, as fourth-ranked Miami whipped the Tigers 41-13 at Death Valley on Saturday night.

When it mattered most, Clemson just wasn’t good enough at the point of attack, and the PFF grades bear that out.

Quarterback

  • Tait Reynolds: 72 (55.1)
  • Trent Pearman: 4 (69.2)
  • Chris Denson: 1 (57.8)

Reynolds put a valiant effort on display, but spent all night running for his life.

Running Back

  • Gideon Davidson: 33 (59.1)
  • Jarvis Green: 25 (59.0)
  • Chris Johnson Jr.: 18 (72.0)

There was very little effort to establish the ground game.

Wide Receiver

  • T.J. Moore: 66 (62.6)
  • Bryant Wesco: 61 (79.6)
  • Tyler Brown: 54 (63.4)
  • Gordon Sellars: 15 (57.0)
  • Tristan Smith: 9 (55.9)
  • JuJu Preston: 7 (60.1)

Wesco had by far his best game of the season.

Tight End

  • Olsen Patt-Henry: 45 (56.3)
  • Christian Bentancur: 41 (57.6)
  • Logan Brooking: 4 (59.9)

This group was basically a non-factor.

Offensive Line

  • Brayden Jacobs: 76 (64.7)
  • Harris Sewell: 76 (71.4)
  • Collin Sadler: 76 (46.6)
  • Gavin Blanchard: 71 (61.8)
  • Easton Ware: 38 (75.1)
  • Grant Wise: 30 (36.6)
  • Ronan O’Connell: 9 (44.5)

This line just had a brutal night, especially on the right side. Maybe it’s time Easton Ware takes over at one of those spots.

Defensive End

  • Will Heldt: 45 (76.3)
  • London Merrit: 42 (62.9)
  • Jahiem Lawson: 34 (79.2)
  • Caden Story: 15 (60.6)

Jahiem Lawson was certainly a bright spot. He came off the bench in this one as London Merritt started opposite Will Heldt.

Defensive Tackle

  • Darien Mayo: 31 (66.2)
  • Champ Thompson: 31 (73.2)
  • Andy Burburija: 29 (73.2)
  • Amare Adams: 26 (54.8)
  • Devarrick Woods: 6 (54.1)
  • Vic Burley: 6 (53.0)
  • Kam Cody: 3 (69.1)

Champ Thompson continues to progress, while Amare Adams again struggles.

Linebacker

  • Sammy Brown: 60 (62.8)
  • Jeremiah Alexander: 36 (61.1)
  • Kobe McCloud: 14 (58.6)
  • Fletcher Cothran: 10 (70.3)
  • CJ Kubah-Taylor: 9 (83.7)

Maybe it’s time CJ Kubah-Taylor sees the field more. He’s put together back-to-back weeks of solid performacnes.

Corner/Nickel

  • Ashton Hampton: 66 (49.2)
  • Eliott Washington II: 62 (50.5)
  • Corian Gipson: 35 (69.1)
  • Donovan Starr: 9 (55.6)
  • Branden Strozier: 3 (61.4)

Not sure these grades accurately reflect Ahston Hampton’s outing. Corian Gipson was good in his return to action.

Safety

  • Jerome Carter: 62 (59.3)
  • Corey Myrick: 59 (58.6)
  • Ronan Hanafin: 33 (65.1)

Same as the corners, not sure these grades are reflective of the performance on the backend.

Explanation of Grades

– Anything 85 and over is considered NFL caliber

– 84-79 is “very good”

– 78-68 is “above average”

– 60 is “average” and is where each grade begins, then goes up or down

– 59-50 is “below average”

– Below 50 is “poor”