Clemson's 5-Star Talent is Dangerously Approaching Bust Territory

Back in late 2023, the Clemson Tigers bagged a major commitment from defensive tackle Amare Adams, a five-star prospect and the second-ranked defensive lineman in his class.

Adams arrived at Clemson in 2025 with quite a bit of fanfare, as there was genuine excitement over what the youngster could achieve with the Tigers.

Understandably, Adams didn't see the field a whole lot during his freshman campaign, as Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart were the top two defensive tackles on the depth chart, and Stephiylan Green was also aboard.

But with Woods and Capehart both heading to the NFL and Green transferring to LSU, the door was flung open for Adams to step up here in 2026.

Except it hasn't happened.

Adams has gotten significant playing time through five weeks, but he hasn't delivered, logging just eight tackles — one solo — thus far. He doesn't have a single tackle for loss or a sack, and his impact has been less than negligible.

Thus far, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound defender has posted an overall grade of 53.3 at Pro Football Focus throughout the campaign, and the eye test matches that number.

Also interesting is the fact that Adams' snap counts have decreased each week.

He opened up the season getting 48 snaps against LSU. That number has dropped every game since, and last week versus Miami, Adams recorded just 28 snaps.

Adams isn't making the most of his opportunities, either, having managed just a 49.7 overall grade against the Hurricanes.

Defensive tackle was a weak spot for Clemson heading into the year, and a season-ending injury to Markus Strong hasn't helped. Neither has the whole Vic Burley situation.

Dabo Swinney has tried mixing and matching on the interior, using a variety of bodies like Devarrick Woods, Andy Burburija and Champ Thompson. Darien Mayo has seen some time on the interior, as well.

But Adams should be the alpha. Instead, a legitimate argument can be made that he hasn't even been a top-three defensive tackle on the team this season.

Adams is still young. He's a sophomore, and he has plenty of time to improve. But there is no doubt that the early returns haven't been good, and he seems to be regressing even more as the season progresses.

Clemson absolutely needs more from Adams. No question about it. Whether or not the former top recruit is capable of it remains to be seen, but he is coming dangerously close to bust territory.