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04 / Players

EVERY PLAYERHAS A STORY.

One player's season, told in order: game by game, against his position, where he does his damage, and who he plays like.

Darien Mayo, Clemson DE: the 2026 season story

Darien Mayo is a junior defensive lineman for Clemson (ACC). He ranks 492nd of 1,709 defensive linemen in Division I by the Player Index, which judges every defensive lineman on the measures that matter at the position, adjusted for the opponents he faced.

01

Scouting report

Why it matters. Knowing the one or two things a player does best, and where he is ordinary, says more than any single total. Darien Mayo's strongest measure is passes defended per game at 0.44, 13th of 892 (the average is 0.08). His weakest is tackles for loss per game at 0.24, 597th of 892 (the average is 0.40).

02

Season production

Why it matters. Totals reward staying healthy and getting the ball; per-game numbers show how much he really carries each week. His tackles per game, 2.1, ranks 550th among 892 ranked defensive linemen.

03

Against every defensive lineman

Why it matters. Splitting the measures into how much, how well and how many big plays shows what kind of defensive lineman he is. Among ranked defensive linemen he sits, on average, in the 38th percentile for volume and 67th for impact.

04

The season, game by game

Why it matters. A season average can hide a player who is great one week and absent the next; game by game shows how dependable he is. Over 8 games, Darien Mayo's best came in week 8 against Virginia Tech and his quietest in week 2 against Georgia Southern.

05

Where he does his damage

Why it matters. Where and how a player makes his plays shows how his team uses him and what a defense has to take away.

06

National and conference

Why it matters. A national rank shows how a player stacks up beyond his own league, where the competition can be very different. Darien Mayo is 346th of 892 FBS defensive linemen and 41st of 101 in the ACC. Next up nationally is Isaac Terrell of Iowa State, 0.00 ahead on the index.

07

Defensive linemen like him

Why it matters. Comparing a player with his closest statistical matches puts his season in context beyond the rankings. His closest match this season is Luke Gaffney of Iowa.

Clemson

Clemson season storyNo. 37 · 6-3

More Clemson players

Ashton HamptonCB · 6th of 1,841Nolan HauserPK · 1st of 261Elliot Washington IIDB · 14th of 1,841Will HeldtDE · 15th of 1,709Jahiem LawsonDE · 242nd of 1,709Jerome Carter IIIS · 307th of 1,841Sammy BrownLB · 194th of 930London MerrittDE · 372nd of 1,709Tyler BrownWR · 217th of 988Bryant Wesco Jr.WR · 227th of 988Gideon DavidsonRB · 153rd of 575Andy BurburijaDT · 535th of 1,709

Top defensive linemen in the ACC

Langston HardyWake ForestXavier LewisNorth CarolinaWill HeldtClemsonClev LubinLouisvilleRylan KennedyFlorida StateMatthew Fobbs-WhiteVirginiaTunmise AdeleyeSyracuseAycen StevensVirginia TechE'Lla BoykinBoston CollegeMarques WhiteSMU

About this page

A season, told as a story

Every player page tells one player's season in order. It shows where he ranks at his position in the Player Index, what he has done game by game, and how each game measured up against the defense or offense he faced.

What each part shows

The story covers his production against every qualified player at his position, where on the field he does his damage, how his usage has changed over the season, his best and quietest games, and the players whose seasons look most like his. Transfers show the school he came from. Any chart can be switched from the whole season to a single game.

Where the numbers come from

Everything is built from public play-by-play data for this season, with every game adjusted for the strength of the opponent. Past seasons back to 2015 are available from the season menu, so a player's career can be read year by year.