Grady Jarrett headlines 2026 Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame class

TL;DR

Clemson athletics announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class, featuring Grady Jarrett and K.J. McDaniels. Jarrett, a former defensive tackle, and McDaniels, a basketball guard, both had notable careers at Clemson.

Key points

Clemson announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class on April 28.
Grady Jarrett and K.J. McDaniels are the headline inductees.
Jarrett played from 2011-14 and had 207 tackles.
McDaniels scored 1,035 points during his college career.
Both players were drafted into professional leagues.

Mentioned in this story

ClemsonPhiladelphia 76ersDabo SwinneyBrad Brownell

Grady JarrettK.J. McDaniels

CLEMSON — Clemson athletics announced its 2026 Hall of Fame class on April 28, and former Tigers football defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and basketball guard K.J. McDaniels headline this year's inductees.

Jarrett played under coach Dabo Swinney from 2011-14, earning third-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors in 2014. Jarrett finished his career with 207 tackles, including 29.5 for loss, over 48 games.

He was later picked in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and finished his 11th season in league with the Chicago Bears.

McDaniels, who played at Clemson from 2010-14 under coach Brad Brownell, earned first-team All-ACC honors and won ACC defensive player of the year in 2013-14.

McDaniels finished his career with 1,035 points and 178 blocked shots, tied for ninth in program history. He was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014.

The 11-member class includes Laura Cottrell (women's basketball), Andy D'Alessio (baseball), Dalton Freeman (football), Matt Hendrix (men's golf), Tevin Hester (men's track and field), Christian Nwokocha (men's soccer), Brianna Rollins (women's track), Andrew Tarbell (men's soccer) and team orthopedist Dr. Larry Bowman.

MORE: Is Dabo Swinney in final season as Clemson football coach? Experts' 2026 predictions

The 2026 class will be honored and inducted in conjunction with Clemson football's Sept. 12 game against Georgia Southern.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

Q&A

Who are the main inductees in the 2026 Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame?

The main inductees are former football defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and basketball guard K.J. McDaniels.

What were Grady Jarrett's achievements during his time at Clemson?

Grady Jarrett earned third-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors in 2014, finishing his career with 207 tackles over 48 games.

Which NBA team drafted K.J. McDaniels and what were his college stats?

K.J. McDaniels was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 and finished his Clemson career with 1,035 points and 178 blocked shots.