During his radio show Monday night, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave the latest on an injured defensive tackle.

Clemson’s interior defensive line has been heavily depleted, but the Tigers may get a much-needed boost on that front in the foreseeable future.

Swinney said shared that they hope to get transfer defensive tackle Kourtney Kelly back after the open date.

The West Georgia transfer continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered during a scrimmage in spring practice.

“Kourtney Kelly is still out, although he’s working his way back into some team practice now, and it’s been really good. So, we’re hopeful that we may get him back after the open date maybe,” Swinney said.

“So, we feel like he’s really tracking. He was a guy that we thought had a chance to be a starter for us.”

Clemson hosts No. 4 Miami on Saturday at Memorial Stadium (7:30 p.m., ABC) before its open date the following weekend. After the open date, the Tigers will welcome Charleston Southern to Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17.

Kelly was one of many transfer portal acquisitions for Clemson on the defensive side of the ball this past offseason. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound junior spent his first two college seasons at West Georgia, where he was credited with 17 tackles (seven for loss), four sacks and a fumble recovery in 11 games in 2025 after appearing in one game while redshirting in 2024.