When Clemson begins fall camp later this week, one of the bigger questions will center around the defensive tackles.
Peter Woods is gone. So is DeMonte Capehart. Stephiylan Green transferred out. Transfer Kourtney Kelly tore an ACL in the spring, and the timetable for his return is still unknown. Add in Hevin Brown-Shuler being out for the season due to his cancer diagnosis, and there are a lot of unknowns surrounding this position group.
Transfers Markus Strong and Andy Burburija are expected to be a big part of the rotation. The hope is Amare Adams takes a big jump in year two and makes his presence felt.
However, what Clemson really needs is for Vic Burley to step and grab the bull by the horns. A former five-star prospect, Burley is entering his fourth season with the program, and to this point, he’s just not had quite the impact that was expected when he signed as a member of the 2023 signing class.
No one has ever questioned the talent, and he has all the physical tools. According to multiple members of the coaching staff, including defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, it’s more about how badly he wants it.
“He’s highly talented, has size and has all the things,” Eason said during Clemson’s annual media day. “He’s just got to go out there with a mindset that he can be dominant because he has the tools to be that.”
Burley is coming off his best spring, and he capped it off with a strong showing in the Clemson spring game. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder was fairly disruptive that day and was credited with 2.5 sacks.
That’s the kind of production head coach Dabo Swinney wants to see more of, as he basically challenged the former five-star at the conclusion of spring ball.
“He’s been a guy that’s kind of, I think, been OK with being a backup,” Swinney said. “He needs to make up his mind he wants to be a wrecking ball in there because he can do it.”
If the Tigers are going to have a bounce-back season defensively, it’s going to have to start up front. One of the more feasible paths is Burley finally living up to his potential, and he appears to be embracing the coaching staff’s challenge with open arms.
“Just like coach Swinney says, I’ve been in the crock-pot for a while. Been cooking up,” Burley said. “Now it’s my chance.”
Burley enters 2026 having recorded 24 tackles, with 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in 267 career snaps.
