CLEMSON – Every summer, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney asks his players to come up with a word to represent the upcoming season.

For new defensive tackle Andy Burburija, he chose the word “grounded.”

Why?

He prioritizes his gratitude for a chance to play at a Power 4 program after starting his college career at a junior college.

“If you’re at junior college, it’s like a whole other world,” said Burburija, who attended Iowa Western Community College the last two years. “Like speaking right here in front of you guys, we had none of that. So, just being grateful. They asked us to choose a word for our season. I chose grounded. So, it’s super important to me to be grateful for every resource we have here.”

In team meetings, Swinney has made sure to help Burburija lean on this grateful perspective, singling out the 305-pounder during discussions of training equipment.

“Burburija!” Swinney said in front of the team, “did you guys have this (in JUCO)?”

The team, including fellow JUCO alum Tristan Smith, who was once perplexed at his newfound ability to take free milk bottles from Clemson’s facility refrigerators, let out a laugh that cut through an intense fall camp period.

“No we did not,” Burburija answered.

Unlike many of Burburija’s new teammates, the Crystal Lake, Ill., native earned his coveted transfer spot through physical domination in two seasons at Iowa Western.

While Clemson sledged through six losses last year, Burburija earned NJCAA All-American honors after compiling an eye-popping 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks en route to a Reivers National Championship. In his freshman year, he burst onto the scene with nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

When he was not terrorizing offensive backfields with plays sponsored by sheer willpower, Burburija spent his time problem solving off of the football field. While Division I defensive linemen worried about upcoming offensive schemes on the weekdays, Burburija had bigger questions to answer.

Where would he live? What would he do with no car allowed on campus? What was he supposed to eat to stay in football shape?

Those questions are no longer a problem for Burburija at Clemson, thanks to the robust player development staff in the Tigers’ facility. These days, he makes sure his teammates do not take their resources for granted, including a DEXA body scanner that he says helped him drop 17 pounds of fat.

“I think making sure the guys know it’s not always like it is here at Clemson,” Burburija said. “At a junior college, it’s a whole other story.” 

Burburija’s perspective closely aligns with defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s push to purge entitlement from the Clemson defense this season, which he felt was an issue last year.

According to Swinney and Allen’s recent declarations, there are no “starters” entering this season, no room for athletes to feel that they deserve playing time or a starting role. And that could benefit Burburija. 

With West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly out with an ACL tear, Hevin Brown-Shuler sidelined with a cancer diagnosis and Vic Burley suspended indefinitely from the program after a recent arrest, the Tigers may be relying on the transfer to help Saturday night in their season-opener at LSU.

“He’s going to be a good player,” Swinney said. “He’s tough. He’s gritty. He’s what I thought he was. He can kind of be a space eater in there and can move the pocket. He’s powerful. He’ll be a good player for us.”

For the last two seasons, Burburija played his home games for the Reivers at Lewis Central high school, which holds at most around 5,000 fans. Now, his home games will be in front of nearly 82,000 Clemson patrons at Memorial Stadium.  In his first game, he will play at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., which holds over 102,000. 

“It’s surreal,” Burburija said. “You kind of got to just keep your mind low. It’s just football at the end of the day. So, you know, they have a great roster, whatever. Doesn’t matter. It’s just football. I’m focused on this team.”

The jump will be drastic. 

Burburija will be grounded.