The Clemson Tigers must be on the lookout for one player against California.
The Clemson Tigers will be facing the California Golden Bears in a critical ACC matchup on Friday night, one that could ultimately determine the trajectory of Clemson this season.
This will not be an easy game.
Clemson will be on the road, and California boasts an explosive offense led by underrated quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw for over 400 yards in a win over Wagner last week. Yeah, it was Wagner, but those numbers are still terrific.
The Tigers themselves are coming off of a big win over North Carolina last Saturday in which they rallied from a 17-3 deficit to emerge with a 28-20 victory.
It was a pivotal triumph for Clemson, who came up with countless big stops down the stretch and saw freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds win his first career start.
But now, the Tigers are about to face a different type of challenge, and there is one player that Clemson — and Reynolds specifically — should be on alter for Friday evening: California safety Kingston Lopa.
Lopa has already established himself as one of the top safeties in college football this season, having racked up five interceptions over Cal's first three games. That included a pick-six in the Golden Bears' win over Syracuse in Week 2.
At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Lopa looks more like a big-bodied receiver than a safety and is one of the most unique defensive backs in the country. He can absolutely change a game with his presence in the secondary.
Fortunately, the Tigers have a pair of dynamic, big-bodied receivers in T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco who will surely be up for the challenge, but this really falls on Reynolds more than it does on his receivers.
Reynolds went 20-for-29 with 215 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Tar Heels last week. He looked good, but it's very clear that he is a true freshman prone to mistakes. That definitely isn't lost on Dabo Swinney, either.
That's why highlighting a known ball hawk like Lopa will be key for Reynolds, who needs to do a tremendous job of surveying the field and checking for the safety's presence before making any dangerous throws.
It won't be an easy task for Reynolds, who missed his entire senior high-school football season and was thrown into the fire very early in Clemson's 2026 campaign, but maybe it's healthy that he's getting such a big test so early.
I'm not saying Reynolds should play scared versus California, but that he should be incredibly prudent with his decision-making because Lopa will be lurking.
