JUCO All-American Locks in Clemson Visit, Announces Offer

The Clemson Tigers are continuing to reinforce their defense through the transfer portal, and they are already looking for more visits, securing one on Thursday.

Defensive lineman Andy Burburija will be visiting Clemson today, as confirmed by On3’s Paul Strelow from Tiger Illustrated. The sophomore is currently in junior college, playing for Iowa Western for the past two seasons. His visit is also expected to last until Friday.

2025 was a big year for Burburija, who had a statement season for the Reivers in his second season. He finished the year with 11 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss last season. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle finished his junior college career with 14 total sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss, being a player with game experience that wants to take the next step.

He was named a NJCAA First Team All-American after this season.

Burburija reported a Clemson on his social media handles on Wednesday, allowing head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff move quickly with Thursday’s visit. Swinney will look to continue to add defensive lineman through the portal after adding two already, Kourtney Kelly and Markus Strong.

I’m truly blessed to receive an offer from Clemson!!! @CoachAaronTerry @CoachStrohmeier @BlackbournMike @JuCoFootballACE @ClemsonFB pic.twitter.com/AbGlr12UWx
— Andy Burburija (@BurburijaAndy) January 7, 2026

The junior-college standout was expected to spent next season at Kansas State, signing with the program during National Signing Day after flipping from Washington State early in December. However, due to the Wildcats’ coaching change from Chris Klieman to Collin Klein, Burburija entered the transfer portal at the end of December.

“Thank you to K-State for the opportunity as well as the support you’ve shown me,” he wrote. “With that being said, my recruitment is now 100% open.”

The Tigers aren’t the only team that are looking to bring in the standout. Burburija has reported offers from Penn State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas Tech and Auburn. He is expected to visit those schools are visiting Clemson on Thursday.

For defensive coordinator Tom Allen, Burburija adds depth to the room, adding to a room led by former five-star Amare Adams and Vic Burley. The team lost Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart to the NFL Draft, and top lineman Stephiylan Green left the transfer portal to move to LSU. It would be a player who has proven stats, even at the JUCO level, while bringing competition to the room.

Burburija is expected to have at least two years of eligibility remaining. An extra year could be added on, due to the junior college eligibility rule that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is fighting for.

Clemson Tigers on SI will remain updated with upcoming transfers and departures with our transfer portal tracker, breaking down each player that is entering and leaving the program.