Tigers Today: Three Tigers listed as 25 most important players for 2021 season

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Three Tigers named 25 most important players for 2021 season

Clemson is expected to contend for a national championship this season. The Tigers have won six-consecutive ACC titles on their way to being a constant in the College Football Playoff.

To do so, Clemson has pieced together an elite roster. So it’s no surprise ESPN’s Bill Connelly listed three Clemson players on his list of college football’s 25 most important players for 2021 on Wednesday.

Wide receiver Justyn Ross ranks No. 14, Bryan Bresee clocks in at No. 10 and sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei cracked the top-five at No. 4 overall.

“Uiagalelei shined in a two-week starting audition last season, completing 69% of his passes with no picks, and at 250-pounds, showing decent short-yardage rushing potential as well,” Connelly wrote. “But now the training wheels are off. He not only has to look the part of a CFP quarterback, he has to do so (a) without security blanket Travis Etienne and (b) from the start of the season: The Tigers’ toughest regular season game is against Georgia in Charlotte in Week 1.”

Uiagalelei’s ranking is well deserved. He will have a chance to prove it in Week 1 against Georgia in the top-five ranked showdown.

Clemson makes cut for elite 2023 guard

Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) point guard Caleb Foster cut down his list of schools to eight on Wednesday.

The Tigers made the cut. Foster included Clemson along with Auburn, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, Louisville, Stanford and Charlotte. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard is one of the best players out of Virginia and a top player in the class of 2023.

Duke has been the heavy favorite to land Foster. Clemson extended an offer last September.

Tigers baseball officially adds Matt Heath to staff

Matt Heath has been added to Clemson’s coaching staff as the special assistant to the head coach, announced by Monte Lee on Wednesday. Heath most recently served as the associate head coach and pitching coach at UT Martin for the last three seasons, and he was also the pitching coach under Lee at College of Charleston from 2011-2015.

Among Heath’s responsibilities with Clemson are practice planning and assisting the coaching staff with the following: pitcher development, in-game management — including with the bullpen — on-campus recruiting and the transfer portal.

“We’re excited to have Matt join our staff as a special assistant,” Lee said in a Clemson release. “He has a wealth of experience at programs all over the Southeast, both as an assistant coach and head coach, including working with me at College of Charleston. His knowledge of the game and experience will be a tremendous asset for all the coaches and players.”

CBS Sports releases preseason All-America team

With the college football season less than a month away, CBS Sports released its preseason All-America team on Wednesday. The SEC led all conferences with eight selections, followed by seven Big 12 selections and six Big Ten selections. 

Clemson landed three on the list:

• First-team wide receiver Justyn Ross
• First-team defensive lineman Bryan Bresee
• Second-team linebacker James Skalski

Why Clemson DE Xavier Thomas is finally ready to live up to hype

Clemson fans are probably tired of hearing it at this point. 

“Watch out for Xavier Thomas,” is a phrase that has been repeated ad nauseam since Thomas arrived on campus in January of 2018. The former five-star recruit showed up at Clemson as one of the most-hyped prospects to ever sign with the Tigers. Clemson signed two of the top three players in the country in the class of 2018.

Xavier Thomas is one of those. And he’s expected to be at his best this season. ClemsonSports.com senior writer Matt Connolly broke it down.

READ: Why Clemson DE Xavier Thomas is finally ready to live up to hype

Counting down

• Clemson vs. Georgia (season opener): 17 days
• Clemson at South Carolina: 101 days