Most would probably agree that the interior of Clemson’s defensive line failed to play to its potential last season, and that some new faces there might not be such a bad thing.
At the same time, replacing veterans like Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart and Stephiylan Green isn’t going to be easy. Even if the unit didn’t play up to the standard a season ago. But that is exactly the situation the Tigers are in.
The Tigers do have two former five-stars returning this season in Vic Burley and Amare Adams, and for Burley, now is the time. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder is entering his fourth season in the program, and even head coach Dabo Swinney is turning up the pressure.
“He’s a guy we’re counting on,” Swinney said after the spring game. “If he don’t do it, it ain’t nobody’s fault but his. Because he can. Ain’t nobody can stop him but him.
“If he stays out of his own way and does what he needs to do – because [defensive tackles coach] Nick [Eason] has certainly given him everything he needs to be successful – if he shows up with the right mentality every day, he can be a good player.”
Clemson needs the light to come on for Burley. Injuries during his freshman season absolutely slowed his development, but those are now in the rearview mirror. If this defensive line is going to be more disruptive than it was last year, Burley needs to do his part, even if he’s coming in off the bench.
Adams, the other former-five-star, is expected to take a big step after logging just over 100 snaps as a freshman. A late-season ankle injury meant Adams was limited in the spring, but he is now fully back and ready to go for fall camp, which is about a month away.
Swinney and defensive coordinator Tom Allen also brought in some reinforcements from the portal, signing four transfers at the position. One of those, Kourtney Kelly, suffered a torn ACL during the spring and there is no timetable for his return as of yet.
Markus Strong was signed after spending his first three seasons at Oklahoma. And he was brought in for the kind of impact the coaching staff believes he can make. Strong played in a reserve role while with the Sooners, but don’t be surprised if he’s not one of the starting tackles when the Tigers open the season in Baton Rouge against LSU.
“I wanted to come in and be somewhere where I was kind of the guy,” Strong said. “I wanted to be the guy for someone.”
Andy Burburija was signed from the JUCO ranks, where he absolutely dominated over his two seasons on the field at Iowa Western Community College. He racked up 78 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks and a forced fumble the past two years.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pounder is a summer enrollee, so he wasn’t on hand for spring practice, meaning there will be a lot to learn in a short amount of time. However, he will be counted on to contribute in some capacity.
Champ Thompson is heading into his third season, and like Burley, now might be the time for Thompson. Hevin Brown-Shuler, who is also entering his third season, is out for the year after his cancer diagnosis.
After it was learned Brown-Shuler would miss the season, Texas State transfer Devarrick Woods was a late addition to the roster. Before his season with Texas State, Woods was at Hinds Community College for two years. Over his three-year career, he has produced 82 tackles, 15.5 for loss and 8.0 sacks.
No matter who starts, and no matter who is coming in off the bench, the Tigers need at the very least a four-man rotation. Strong, Burley and Adams absolutely have to be a part of that if this defense is going to produce at the level Clemson fans expect.
