Naeem Burroughs is getting no shortage of hype heading into his first season at Clemson.
The true freshman wide receiver has been generating plenty of buzz, the latest of which came from ESPN.
ESPN named 51 freshmen ready to make an immediate impact in the 2026 college football campaign, and Burroughs made the list, as an early enrollee poised to inject dynamic speed and slot capability into the Clemson offense.
“Burroughs can fly,” ESPN’s Billy Tucker wrote. “The wiry 6-foot receiver ranked No. 111 on the SC Next 300 and clocked out at speeds north of 21 mph on tape as a high schooler. Burroughs enrolled early and made a strong first impression on Clemson’s coaching staff this spring, and that is often a precursor to a fall breakout. He could wrestle away the Tigers’ slot receiver duties at some point in 2026.”
ESPN isn’t the only outlet hyping up Burroughs. CBS Sports recently named him as the freshman to watch for Clemson in 2026, and in February, he was also pegged as an instant impact recruit by On3/Rivals. Last September, ESPN circled Burroughs as the Tigers’ most exciting recruit in the 2026 class.
“Naeem is just a special football player,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during spring practice. “He can do anything. He can play anywhere. Can really run. He’s a lot bigger than I thought he was. He’s really developed, lower body.”
Burroughs joined the Tigers in January as a consensus four-star prospect according to Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN. He was ranked as high as the No. 43 overall prospect in the country by Rivals, which touted him as the eighth-best receiver in his class.
A product of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., Burroughs entered the early signing period with 163 career receptions for 3,614 yards and 49 touchdown receptions. He was also credited with 649 yards on kickoff returns, 301 yards on punt returns and 17 interception return yards for a career all-purpose yardage total of 4,590.
Burroughs exceeded 650 all-purpose yards in all four years of his high school career, including reaching the 1,110-yard mark in each of his last three seasons.
Burroughs, who was also a two-time track state champion in the 4×100 relay, committed to Clemson back on March 8, 2025.
Joining Burroughs on ESPN’s list of freshmen “poised to make an impact” this season are a number of other players on Clemson’s 2026 schedule, including LSU defensive tackles Deuce Geralds and Lamar Brown; Miami offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell; FSU wide receiver Devin Carter and linebacker Izayia Williams; UNC cornerback Kenton Dopson III; Virginia Tech wide receiver Davion Brown; and Syracuse edge Jarius Rodgers.
