Clemson Has Options for 10 Best Players in ACC in 2020

Ranking the best 10 players in an entire conference is a difficult task. 

Looking at the ACC, there are cases to be made for a host of players of different positions and skillsets. Criteria are incredibly hard to understand. Player A might be way more talented than Player B, but Player B means way more to his team’s success.

That’s just one example of why those kinds of lists should be taken with a grain of salt. They’re fun to read and discuss, not become irate over. So when CBS Sports released its ranking of the 10 “best” players in the ACC, it was more about piquing interest than being accurate. 

The site did, however, do a pretty good job. It’s hard to argue against any of the 10. They’re all extremely good players. Good players also got left off. But the rankings also tell an interesting story. 

Clemson, the heavily-favored powerhouse of this conference, had just two players on the list: quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 and running back Travis Etienne at No. 3.

No individual player in the entire conference has a higher ceiling than Lawrence, who is somewhat lacking for accolades and hardware in comparison to his talent and production as he prepares to enter year three as the Tigers’ starter under center. High interception counts in the early stages of 2019 overshadowed an absurd tear over the second half of the season that saw 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions across Clemson’s last eight games with better than 70 percent passing in the final six pre-playoff games. When Lawrence was initially limited by Ohio State’s defense in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, he showcased his ability as a runner in what became a difference-maker in the offense. LSU stymied Lawrence and handed him the first loss of his college career, which resets his own expectations for 2020. Lawrence is going to be one of the most scrutinized players in all of college football, but that’s because no one individually can have more of an impact on a game than the potential No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Here we go again with the disrespect for two-time ACC Player of the Year Travis Etienne. For all the time that I’ve dedicated to rolling out the resume of the ACC’s career rushing touchdown and total touchdown leader on CBS Sports HQ and the Cover 3 Podcast, you’d think that talk would be backed up with an appropriate ranking of the league’s top players. While Etienne gets overlooked because light workloads that hinder his ability to compile eye-popping rushing totals, he will prove to be the most important piece in Clemson’s pursuit of a national championship. As mentioned above, the Tigers have more uncertainty at the wide receiver position than what we’re used to from a group that has consistently reloaded with stars from Sammy Watkins to DeAndre Hopkins to Mike Williams to Tee Higgins, and that only puts more on the plate of Etienne, the most decorated star and proven commodity in the Tigers’ offense. 

The part about “disrespect” of Etienne is a little tongue in cheek, but it does feel like one could make an argument that he’s the best overall player in the league, maybe even in ACC history. 

Still, Clemson will dominate this league and win another ACC title (if there is a title to play for in 2020), and no coach in the league will argue the Tigers aren’t the most talented team among the 14 (15, if you care to count Notre Dame). 

Regardless, you might expect to see more Clemson players represented, but the ACC has some real talent and it’s spread throughout the league. Miami is the only other team to have multiple entries, and there are some really good defensive linemen in the ACC who don’t play for Brent Venables. 

There’s a good chance Justyn Ross would be on this list if the talented receiver weren’t out for the season. Wake Forest’s Sage Surratt was the lone pass-catcher on the list, and deservedly so. As good as Derion Kendrick played in 2019, and his potential in 2020 is off the charts, Syracuse DB Andre Cisco leads all current FBS players in interceptions with his play the last two seasons. 

There are no offensive linemen listed, but Clemson left tackle Jackson Carman deserves some thought. Defensively, linebacker James Skalski very well could end up being one of the top-10 players in the ACC at the end of the season. That wouldn’t be a big surprise at all. 

Xavier Thomas, should he live up to his vast potential, has All-American ability, much less all-conference. Tyler Davis is as good a defensive tackle as you’ll find anywhere, but this league is loaded there. 

The fact that Clemson had just two selections also shows how deep the Tigers are in 2020. Venables plays a ton of guys. A receiver needs to emerge but there are capable bodies. In fact, there’s probably a player nobody has thought of who could turn into a big-time player for the Tigers in 2020.

Let’s revisit this idea at the end of the season to see just how many Clemson players would be considered for among the 10 best in the ACC.