Why This Clemson Transfer Cornerback is Next Up in the Secondary

When a player goes down in football, another has to take the opportunity to step up. Sophomore cornerback Donovan Starr is the name to do so this week for the Clemson Tigers.

With nickel Corian Gipson out for the rest of the season with a leg injury, head coach Dabo Swinney will look down the depth chart for his next piece to start in the secondary. It turns out to be Starr, an Auburn transfer who moved from the Plains to the Upstate after just one season.

However, the cornerback has been a name that Swinney has had on his radar for quite some time.

“We recruited him hard out of high school, thought we were going to get him, then we filled up,” he said on Tuesday. “He went to Auburn, kind of worked out, and now he’s got this year and three more.”

Starr hasn’t flashed much on the gridiron yet, although that’s due to change very soon in his new starting role. He recorded tackles against North Carolina and Cal, totaling three total over the course of this season.

However, the practice field has been where the Bloomington, Illinois, native has been turning heads from both the coaching staff and the players.

“We’ve seen it on the practice field, and he’s a guy that’s been on the rise for a while, and he’s played corner; he’s played nickel,” Swinney said. “I think he’s a really good player.”

Beginning this week, Clemson’s depth chart sees Starr picking up his first start as a Tiger in its matchup with Charleston Southern this weekend. Many consider this game to be a runway to getting the Tigers to be successful again on the offensive side of the ball. However, new shuffles in the depth chart will see the same defensively.

However, Clemson’s head coach is confident that Starr will get the job done this weekend. It’s how he builds on it is what he will watch the most.

“He was really making a move these last couple of weeks and that’s why we kind of put him in backing up Corian,” Swinney said. “So, it’s just kind of, his opportunity has come, and we were gaining confidence in playing him.”

The high school accolades speak for themselves, too.

Starr has won Class 6A Tennessee Mr. Football Honors in his senior season, being a top 20 cornerback in the Class of 2025. Playing football at Ravenwood High School in Tennessee, he was the No. 2 player from the state when he was being recruited, according to On3. However, as Swinney alluded to, he chose a different set of Tigers than Clemson, but the former four-star reunited with him a season later.

The potential is there in Starr, but game reps will be what strengthens his game most.

“I think he’s prepared well. I think he’s got a great mentality and, again, he’s got a really good skillset,” Swinney said. "He just needs to play.”

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