The State of Clemson's Defensive Line Room Following Vic Burley's Arrest

One of the Clemson Tigers’ most unproven rooms going into next season is at interior defensive lineman. Following this weekend’s events, it will be even thinner for 2026.

Graduate lineman Vic Burley was arrested early Saturday morning and is now suspended indefinitely from the team. Now, head coach Dabo Swinney will have one of his top options sidelined at the start of the season for an undisclosed period.

So, where does the room stand? Here’s what we’ve been hearing, and who the expected starters should be as the Tigers head into Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sept. 5 to face LSU in Week 1.

The Standouts

The two who are most likely now expected to be the starters to open next season include a transfer and a young piece: Markus Strong and Amare Adams.

Strong comes from Oklahoma with a background from its head coach, Brent Venables, a familiar figure among many Clemson fans during the Tigers’ national championship runs in 2016 and 2018. Last season, he played in 11 games, recording two tackles for loss and a sack in 11 games, though he didn’t start in any of the games.

However, it’s important to note how fierce the Sooners’ defensive line is. If Strong has any qualities like the Oklahoma standouts, who were among the best in pass rush and run defense, it’s an optimistic sign for Clemson, which needed a starting piece.

Then, Adams is a former five-star recruit who saw time on the field, though he had to play behind DeMonte Capehart, Peter Woods and Stephiylan Green in 2025. However, they served as mentors for the Jefferson, South Carolina, native in his freshman season, and Swinney has seen him be a promising player moving forward.

“Amare, I think, is probably the closest,” he said this week. “We just need him to kind of take that step as far as being that alpha dog."

There’s still plenty of time to figure out who the best two are, but from what we’ve heard, it should be Adams and Strong to start out.

The Contenders

The next guy who would compete with Adams and Strong is junior-college transfer Andy Burburija, who was a junior-college All-American this past season. He finished with 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, among other impressive accolades that he had.

He’s also flashed throughout camp, and his size has played a factor in doing so. However, he did arrive in the summer, meaning the scheme will still have him on a learning curve until then.

Especially with so many new pieces, players who have been with Clemson for several years would have an advantage over the other transfers. Junior Champ Thompson would be the other player to watch in this instance, having been with the program for two seasons already.

Thompson started in a game last season, playing in eight total games while recording a tackle for loss and a sack. Again, you typically like seeing players emerge as they become upperclassmen, and the Gainesville, Georgia, native will have to do so as well.

Keep an eye out for Kourtney Kelly, too. The West Georgia transfer tore his ACL during the spring practices, but there’s an expectation that he will be back by the end of the season. Especially if the Tigers are contending for a conference championship, that will be helpful.

Keep An Eye Out For

Other reserve positions, especially in this case, will be vital for Clemson. Most of these pieces will be seen sporadically, but the experience, as well as talent for one of them, could be helpful.

Texas State transfer Devarrick Woods has one year of eligibility remaining, and has snaps at both the junior-college and Division I levels. He also brings 15.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, but most of those were at Hinds Community College in Mississippi.

Graduate senior Caden Story has also been with the program for some time, and he decided to come back for one final season. The same goes for sixth-year player Dietrick Pennington, who made the switch from lineman to defensive tackle in this offseason to see more time.

Clemson’s only true freshman, Kam Cody, has excelled in his progress thus far, but Swinney believes that he needs more time in his metaphorical “crockpot”, calling him a “young pup.”

However, the Tigers head coach is going to need everybody to continbute when their number is called, especially with the departure of one of their key players on the defensive line.

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