Nine Clemson players ranked in top 100 by SI.com
Clemson SC—Clemson has three of the top 10 players in the nation for the 2018 college football season according to Sports Illustrated. The publication announced its top 100 players this week, culminating with the release of the top 10 on Thursday morning.
All three of the top 10 players from Clemson are defensive linemen. Christian Wilkins, a two-time first-team All-American, is ranked third, while 2017 AP first-team All-American Clelin Ferrell is seventh, and second-team All-American Dexter Lawrence is 10th. Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver is ranked No. 1 by Sports Illustrated and NFL.com.
Nine Clemson players are ranked in the top 100 by Sports Illustrated, more than any other school. Alabama is second with seven, Michigan and Washington have six, Wisconsin and Georgia have five, while Ohio State, Oregon, and Mississippi have four apiece.
Austin Bryant and Mitch Hyatt, two more returning first-team All-Americans, are also in the top 40. Bryant is ranked 32nd, meaning all four Clemson starting defensive linemen are ranked in the top 32 in the nation by Si.com. Hyatt, in his fourth year as a starting offensive tackle, is ranked 37th.
Kendall Joseph and Trayvon Mullen are also in the top 100, giving Clemson six defensive players in the top 100, also most in the nation. Joseph, a senior linebacker, is ranked 57th and Mullen a junior cornerback, is ranked 53rd.
Sophomore Tee Higgins and Travis Etienne Jr are two more offensive players in the SI.com top 100. Higgins, a wide receiver, is ranked 69th and Etienne, a running back, is 94th.
Earlier this summer NFL.com released a list of top 150 college football players. Wilkins, Ferrell and Lawrence were all in the top 16 of that rankings. That list included quarterback Kelly Bryant as the 53rd best player in the nation and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow as player No. 140.
Clemson tied with Alabama for the most top 100 selections according to NFL.com with eight. Michigan had six, Ohio State 5, Georgia 4, while Wisconsin, Miami (FL), Florida State, Washington and Penn State all had three.
Player | Position | NFL.com Ranking | Sports Illustrated Ranking |
Clelin Ferrell | Defensive End | 8 | 7 |
Christian Wilkins | Defensive Tackle | 13 | 3 |
Dexter Lawrence | Defensive Tackle | 16 | 10 |
Trayvon Mullen | Cornerback | 49 | 63 |
Kelly Bryant | Quarterback | 53 | Not Ranked |
Austin Bryant | Defensive End | 57 | 32 |
Mitch Hyatt | Offensive Tackle | 77 | 37 |
Kendall Joseph | Linebacker | 99 | 57 |
Tee Higgins | Wide Receiver | Not Ranked | 69 |
Travis Etienne | Running Back | Not Ranked | 94 |
Hunter Renfrow | Wide Receiver | 140 | Not Ranked |
Clemson Player Rankings by NFL.com and Sports Illustrated - NFL.com picked top 150, Sports Illustrated top 100