When Clemson kicked off fall camp Thursday, Andy Burburija went through his first official practice with the Tigers. But even before he took the practice fields, there was plenty of buzz surrounding the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle this summer.

Burburija, a JUCO signee, arrived at Clemson in June. And while he hadn’t attended an official practice prior to Thursday, he did take part in some summer workouts and quickly made an impression while drawing praise from defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, as well as rave reviews from some of his new teammates who are just as excited about his potential as Eason.

With the Tigers facing some unknowns along the interior of the defensive line, the hope is Burburija can have a significant impact at Clemson, and it’s probably safe to assume that he’ll be a big part of the rotation at defensive tackle.

Count Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney among those who are excited about Burburija. Before fall camp got underway, Swinney spoke about how much he was looking forward to seeing the transfer DT on the field during camp ahead of the 2026 campaign.

“I can’t wait. I really can’t,” Swinney said. “He’s another one of them guys, because, I think I know what I’m gonna see, but I just haven’t seen it yet. I just like who he is and how he handles himself. You just kinda know when guys, they get in their system and they get plugged in, and you just kind of see how they’re wired by how they buy into things, and then what you hear from the players – game knows game. So, he’s done a great job, so far.”

Now a junior, Burburija spent his first two seasons playing at the JUCO level at Iowa Western Community College. In fact, he is Clemson’s first JUCO addition of the Swinney era. Last season, the Crystal Lake, Ill., native earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors after totaling 45 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in helping lead his team to a JUCO national championship.

Swinney added that he was “really excited” to see Burburija get in the trenches at the nose guard position and “see how he can fill the A gap and take on [offensive linemen] Harris [Sewell] and Elyjah [Thurmon] and all those guys.”

“He’s a guy coming in here that’s got a lot to prove,” Swinney said, “and I’m excited to see him go do it.”

–Jason Priester contributed to this story

–Photo by Dawson Powers