CLEMSON — When Avieon Terrell went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the South Carolina game last season, Branden Strozier knew he had to step up.

To that point, 2025 had been an up-and-down season for him. He was banged up and played just one snap against LSU and was unable to play in the Tigers win over Troy a week later.

Strozier finally got back on the field against Georgia Tech, but he struggled in 21 snaps which limited his time the next week against Syracuse. He gradually started getting better and got back in the good graces of cornerbacks coach Mike Reed.

Over the next five weeks Strozier was getting on the field more and more. Then came his opportunity against the Gamecocks. And he rose to the occasion.

Though he got beat for a TD right after he got on the field following Terrell’s injury, he quickly buttoned up and shut down Carolina’s star receiver Nyck Harbor in the second half. Strozier finished the game with six tackles and two passes defended, including the ball that he knocked to Richardo Jones for the game-clinching pick-six.

Knowing he can now play at a high level, Strozier comes into the new season looking to build off the end of last season and to take the next step in Tom Allen’s defense.

“Last year, was really just understanding the defense, getting reps,” he said. “We had a new defensive coordinator, so I was just really trying to understand what his defense was going to be about.

“But this year, I really feel like I grasp the defense a lot. You know, I’m able to understand what other people are doing. So, I am able to communicate more, like routes and formation recognition and stuff like that. It makes pre-snap stuff easier.”

And that has Strozier playing faster and smarter than he has before.