CLEMSON – Though the late-night buzzing sounds of cicadas and humid temperatures still wage with full force in South Carolina, summer’s close is near, and with it, the start of the 2026 football season looms close.

Clemson, ranked No. 23 in the preseason coaches’ poll, has just a month until it opens its season at No. 13 LSU on Sept. 5. In the dwindling days until kickoff, the Tigers have some major questions to answer in fall camp.

Chief among these is the quarterback situation. Will veteran Christopher Vizzina, who has the “pole position” win the starting job in Baton Rouge? Or will it be freshman Tait Reynolds who leads the Tigers?

This question may dominate headlines over the next few weeks of practice and media availability, but the middle of the Tigers’ defense is of nearly equal importance to the signal-caller situation. 

Three of last year’s starters in this group–defensive tackles Peter Woods and Demonte Capehart, as well as linebacker Wade Woodaz–will not return to Clemson after being selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. In their absence, the Tigers will need several returning players or transfers to step up into a bigger role this season.

“That’s a critical group for us, for finishing out the summer and into fall camp,” defensive coordinator Tom Allen said of the defensive tackles. “Continues to be a focus, we need to have a strength in numbers in that group. So, whoever steps in that game to be able to play at an elite level and to be collectively a very strong group. So, their execution, their ability to disrupt, to stop the run, to be a factor in the pass rush game is going to be big for us, and then just maximizing, the whole defensive line to be, a group that has a toughness to them and an edge about them.” 

In the interior of the defensive line, the Tigers will have several options to roll out in Baton Rouge, La. There’s Vic Burley, a former five-star recruit who has never quite made it into a starting role. Similarly, former blue-chipper Amare Adams is healthy ahead of his second year and primed to take on some major responsibilities.

Allen and head coach Dabo Swinney also went into the transfer portal and got JUCO product Andy Burburija, Oklahoma’s Markus Strong, Texas State’s Devarrick Woods and the University of West Georgia’s Kourtney Kelly, who suffered an ACL tear in the spring.

With Kelly’s injury, as well as Hevin Brown-Schuyler missing the season with a saddening cancer diagnosis, the question for the defensive line is not only the starters, but the depth on the roster. According to Swinney, a large part of fall camp will be spent figuring out who can be trusted to play defensive tackle for the Tigers, both in starting and depth roles.

“I’d say it’s a big unknown, I mean, huge unknown,” Swinney said of the group. “Guys got a lot to prove, every one of them. I think Amare Adams is as talented a guy as we’ve signed. I mean, he is a really special talent, a great kid, and a hard worker but true freshman last year and ended up, had to have some surgery. I think he’s certainly a high level talent, but he’s got to go prove it. You got some guys that’s kind of now or never that’s in that group. There’s a couple guys that have been around here that they either gotta do it now or probably ain’t going to do it. One of the two.”

What makes this position especially tricky is that the Tigers are not just trying to replace defensive tackle talent from Allen’s first season at Clemson last year– they are also trying to improve upon a lackluster campaign.

Clemson’s defensive line last season finished with just half of the Tigers’ sacks, and the defensive tackles only had a combined six across 13 games. Additionally, they did not force any turnovers, a gaping issue in Clemson’s 7-6 finish, and combined for only 11 percent of the Tigers’ tackles for loss.

For reference, in 2018, future NFL star Christian Wilkins finished with five more tackles for loss than all of 2026 Clemson’s defensive tackles combined last year.

With that said, the primary goal for this group in fall camp seems to be identifying the most disruptive, sturdy players who can slide into Woods and Capehart’s roles, and who can be trusted to go behind them on the depth chart, not immediately trying to compete with Wilkins or other Tiger legends.

Similar questions need to be answered about the Tigers’ linebackers group. 

With Woodaz gone, junior Sammy Brown, a preseason All-American, is set to anchor the position and build on a prolific first two years with the Tigers. This offseason, Clemson saw a need for a starter alongside Brown and recruited California’s Luke Ferelli out of the transfer portal.

In a now infamous situation, Ferelli decided to switch his commitment to Ole Miss despite being enrolled in Clemson classes. 

This left Clemson with a furious Dabo Swinney and a hole at linebacker. Now, Kobe McCloud, a rising senior with 45 career tackles under his belt, and Jeremiah Alexander, a former Alabama transfer, have separated themselves as the clear options to start in Baton Rouge alongside Brown.

“Been a big offseason for them and challenged them all individually,” Allen said. “I think Kobe and Jeremiah have kind of separated themselves, within the group to be able to be in position, just the the personal challenges I’ve given to those guys and (linebackers) coach Boulware as well this whole off season. And that’s a big part of it. And man, your linebackers,  they make you who you are as a defense. Never had a great defense without great linebackers, and that will never cease to be the case. So, a huge challenge to them.”

Outside of the potential starters, linebacker depth is also a concern. The Tigers have fifth-year Fletcher Cothran returning, as well as veteran C.J. Kubah-Taylor, but both lack experience in big-time, high-leverage roles. 

Someone like Drew Woodaz,– Wade’s younger brother– sophomore Logan Anderson or true freshman Brayden Reilly could easily see playing time as well here, if they prove themselves in fall camp.

Among a myriad of questions around a new-look team with a first-year offensive coordinator, second year defensive coordinator, new quarterback and a record-high number of transfers, the middle of Clemson’s defense sticks out as highly-important in these next two weeks.