2023 DL Victor Burley Has High Praise for Revamped Coaching Staff After Most Recent Clemson Visit
Victor Burley is one of the most sought-after players in the 2023 class.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound player out of Warner Robbins, Georgia currently has close to 20 offers, is one of the top interior defensive linemen in the country, and a Top-50 talent overall.
When asked in a recent interview with SI All-American what sets him apart from most other defensive tackles in the class, Burley's answer was simple.
"Just the level of physicality that I play with," he said.
During the month of January, Burley took visits to Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson, and the message he gets from each coaching staff is fairly similar.
"They tell me I have good hand placement, quick hands, and I really know the game," he said. They can tell I have been learning the game longer than others because it is automatic second nature to me with how I attack and place my hands."
While Burley has already visited Clemson on multiple occasions and is extremely familiar with the program, this last visit to campus was a crucial one for one of the Tigers' top targets. It was the first since Brent Venables and Todd Bates departed for Oklahoma and it gave Burley his first chance to get an up-close look at the revamped coaching staff.
"It was very important for me to just meet the new coaches there, and to build a relationship with them was very special," Burley said. "I do like Clemson, so I wanted to make sure it was still there and there was no drop-off."
The highly-touted prospect came away feeling extremely confident about the direction Clemson's defense is headed and had extremely high praise for the new-look coaching staff.
"They picked up where they left off," he said. "There was no drop-off, in fact, it might have been a little bit better than the old staff."
The fact that the Tigers have been consistently putting defensive linemen into the NFL really resonates with Burley. As does Clemson's plan to continue to use the same scheme with four-man fronts, even without Venables calling the plays.
"That is really appealing to me because it allows me to be more versatile and be the player I am now," Burley said. "The defense we have ran the past three years has allowed me to be more versatile and play all across the line, so if I go to Clemson, there would be no drop-off. It would be me playing across the line, being who I am."
Next month looks to be another busy one for Burley, with visits scheduled for Florida State on March 5, South Carolina on March 19 and Florida on March 26. He is also hoping to get back to Clemson at some point in the spring.
Regarding when he might possibly make a decision, there is no firm timeline, but Burley does plan to trim his list at some point in the very near future.
"I will probably be dropping a top school, maybe in the spring, but I may drop one before," he said. "With the commitment, I may commit sooner than later, just maybe. I am not sure yet."
As for what he is looking for in a school, education is one of the top priorities, but so is culture. Add in that it has to be a place that his family is also comfortable with, it's a decision Burley knows won't be easy.
"First, I am looking for education, but with that, all of the schools that are recruiting me offer a good education," Burley said. "I am looking for relationships between coaches and players and coaches and coaches and a community where it feels like home. That is a big one. Last, it is about, does my family trust this college to leave me here for the next three to four years?
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