Make no mistake, Sammy Brown is viewed as one of the top linebackers in the country, but behind him on the Clemson depth chart, there are some questions.

So much so that the coaching staff went out and signed Cal transfer Luke Ferrelli, the ACC’s 2025 Defensive Freshman of the Year, to come in and start alongside Brown. However, shortly after signing with the Tigers, Ferrelli was poached by Ole Miss, leaving a hole at linebacker.

Ferrelli exited just before the portal window closed, leaving the Tigers with no other options when it came to pursuing a linebacker who was capable of coming in and starting.

“The challenging part of that whole situation was you targeted to go after one (linebacker) and then because of the timing of everything, it allowed you not to be able to do that because it closed so quickly after that,” defensive coordinator Tom Allen said in early March.

That means Clemson is going to need someone to step up and fill that void. Redshirt junior Kobe McCloud was on the receiving end of a lot of praise back in the spring, and after Ferrelli’s abrupt departure, he is expected to take on a much larger role in 2026.

“I’m just always mentally prepared for any situation I’m put in,” McCloud said. during spring practice. “That’s what I work for each and every day. So, I feel like it just came natural to me, being out there and making plays for the team. I mean, I just put myself in the best position just to help us.”

Last season, McCloud notched 28 tackles (2.5 for loss), one sack, and five pass breakups across 13 games and one start. After missing most of the 2024 campaign with an injury. McCloud logged close to 250 snaps last year, giving him some valuable experience.

Jeremiah Alexander is also back for one more season. After transferring in from Alabama, the former five-star appeared in every game during his first season at Clemson, with 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

While the staff may feel comfortable with those three players, there are certainly questions about the depth behind them, given their very little experience.

“Obviously, Sammy’s the leader of that group and Sammy’s special, but we got to be able to have four guys and say we can rotate those four guys in there and feel good about whoever steps in the game,” Allen said.

Former walk-on Fletcher Cothran is someone who frequently gets mentioned as being ready to contribute, but the fifth-year senior has only played 36 snaps in his career. Drew Woodaz, the younger brother of Wade, and CJ Kubah-Taylor are both entering their third seasons, but neither have played much.

Logan Anderson, who redshirted in 2025 while recovering from a knee injury, was able to get some good work in during the spring, but might still be a year away. Incoming freshman Brayden Reilly doesn’t even arrive until the summer.

So the Tigers are basically one injury away from a linebacker with little to no experience being a part of the rotation. Still, despite the inexperience behind Brown, McCloud and Alexander, the staff does feel better about the position heading into fall camp.

“Linebacker kind of sticks out to me as having really improved, as a collective group, and as a group that we knew we needed to really improve a lot,” Allen said. “And so, we got a lot of guys to take their game to a higher level.”