2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.
As of
The story all over Clemson message boards this offseason isn't a transfer or a quarterback battle — it's the kid who was finally ready. Mayo arrived in 2023 as a top-150 recruit, the nation's 10th-ranked defensive end out of Maryland's Our Lady of Good Counsel, then disappeared into the rotation: 33 snaps and a redshirt in 2024, seven games and two tackles in 2025. Six career tackles across two seasons is not the resume of a hyped recruit. So when he posted a team-high tackle line and 2.5 sacks in the Orange and White game — outshining the portal additions everyone came to watch — Dabo did the talking for him, and the fan reaction followed.
The timing is what makes it matter. Clemson just shipped T.J. Parker to the Bills and Peter Woods to the Chiefs in the 2026 draft, gutting the front that defined the program's identity. Will Heldt and Jahiem Lawson headline the new edge, but the rotation behind them was an open question — and Mayo, by every post-spring depth-chart projection, played his way into it. Greg McElroy still ranked the Tigers' D-line No. 4 in the country entering 2026, betting on exactly this kind of internal development. The rare length on the edge gives Clemson something the portal couldn't buy.
The stake is simple and a little merciless: spring buzz is the cheapest currency in college football, and Clemson fans have talked themselves into buried recruits before. Mayo enters 2026 with the frame, the coach's endorsement, and a real opening in front of him. The 2026 season is where he finally answers whether the hype was always real or just early.
Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Clemson lost 20-16 to Virginia Tech on Oct. 24 as a 3-point favorite and is 4-3. Mayo has 1 tackle for loss in 6 games, and it came against Virginia Tech.
Sources
Play style
A long, twitchy edge at 6-foot-7 and roughly 270, Mayo's selling point is the thing you can't coach — length and a suddenness off the snap that lets him win the corner before tackles can recover. With no tracked play-by-play to lean on (he's barely played), the read is purely projection: a high-ceiling speed-to-power rusher who flashed bend and a closing burst in the spring game, the kind of frame that can collapse a pocket once the technique catches up to the tools. The questions are the ones every developmental edge faces — anchor against the run, hand usage, consistency over a full game — and 2026 is the first real sample we'll get.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
TigerNet Oct 31
Heavy Oct 29
The Clemson Insider Oct 28Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 2 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-51@ No. 11 LSU | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 22-7vs Georgia Southern | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 28-20vs North Carolina | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 24-10@ California | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 13-41vs No. 4 Miami | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 16-20vs Virginia Tech | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 36-24@ Florida State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | — | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 36-24 at Florida State, play by play
2 tackles, including 1 sack. The fumble he forced on 4th and 3 ended Florida State’s drive (fumble).
Forced a fumble on 4th and 3. Third quarter, up 26-10. Ended Florida State’s drive (fumble).
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 7 games with play by play.
How Clemson’s defense played that day
Florida State’s 13 drives: 9 stopped (4 takeaways) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 6. His forced fumble came with Clemson up 16.
3 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 6-yard loss on 3rd and 13. Third quarter, down 10-6.
2 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle, including 1 pass broken up. His pass breakup on 4th and 2 ended California’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Broke up a pass on 4th and 2. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended California’s drive (downs).
3 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -8 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
14%2 sacksTFL rate
14%2 TFLHurry rate
14%2 hurriesPressure-to-sack conversion
50%2 of 4 pressures14 tackles · 2 for loss · 2 sacks.
3 seasons under Dabo Swinney — 22-13 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Road3g | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dabo Swinney
Pass share
45.3%
248 pass / 299 run
Plays / game
68.4
8 games
Team sack rate
8.3%
289 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #229 at the position.
Returning starter at the defensive line for a 7-6 Clemson team that went -4 in the portal.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Dabo Swinney.
