Clemson Adds JUCO All-American, Two Wide Receiver Recruits to Wrap Up National Signing Day

Clemson’s roster got better on Wednesday.

Three players — Andy Burburija, Keil McGriff and Cam Blivens — officially signed to join the Tigers in 2026, with all three having previously verbally committed to play for head coach Dabo Swinney.

Wide receivers McGriff and Blivens are joining Clemson as high school recruits, while defensive tackle Andy Burburija headlines as a 2025 JUCO All-American out of Iowa Western Community College.

Originally, Burburija was set to be a Cornhusker after initially committing to play for Nebraska on Jan. 13. A week later, the JUCO star flipped his commitment to Clemson. Now, the pen has been put to paper.

In 2025, Burburija (6-3 295) earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors, posting 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in his sophomore season. With Iowa Western, Burburija played in two NJCAA National Championships in two years, hoisting the trophy on the second time of asking. In the 2025 championship game, he posted a career high eight tackles (2.5 for loss) and 2.0 sacks.

"Andy Burburija is [a] big kid we identified really early when the portal opened. Man, he's a strong, tough, physical kid. He's a national champion, and you don't see many defensive tackles that have 11 sacks,” Swinney said.

Clemson’s newest pickup was ranked as the No. 20 junior college prospect overall and the No. 6 D-lineman in his JUCO class. Burburija is not classified as a portal pick up, as he joins Clemson with at least two years of eligibility.

“He's a very unique story. He's a first-generation American. His parents are from Albania, and he's got this tremendous drive to him that I think has really helped him develop into the player that he's become. Coming from national champion Iowa Western, he's a guy we're super excited about joining our program and bringing some toughness to that defense,” Swinney said.

Offensively, McGriff and Blivens have a striking similarity: raw athletic ability. In high school, McGriff has played everywhere from quarterback, to receiver to corner. Meanwhile, Blivens had the numbers and the ability to play Division I collegiate basketball — not to mention he’s also an all-state high jumper.

"Cam Blivens is a really high-level basketball player that probably could have gone on and played college basketball, but he really made more of the commitment to football over the past year or so and has really, really blossomed. He is a big-time, super athlete, a multi-sport guy. He's scored over 2,000 points in his basketball career in the state of Tennessee,” Swinney said.

Out of Lipscomb Academy High School, Blivens (6-2 175) is a three-star recruit and ranks as the No. 360 wide receiver and the No. 83 prospect in the state of Tennessee, according to 247Sports Composite. He posted 1,086 yards on 63 receptions as a senior with 14 total touchdowns, with two as a passer and two as a returner.

“He is an elite athlete, but a big, tough, physical, strong receiver coming from a great program. And he's a guy that we were really fortunate that he didn't sign in the early signing period and it worked out for us to be able to find him and get on him. I think he's got high upside as he truly commits to one sport,” Swinney added.

Versatility seems to be part of Swinney’s recruiting gameplan. From Buchholz High School in Gainesville, FL, McGriff comes from a long line of athletes.

"Keil McGriff is an athlete. He's a kid that has played quarterback, receiver and corner, and he's a returner. So he's got a diverse skill set. He got big-time bloodlines. His father was a great player. His grandfather was a great player. The whole McGriff family, they were all great, great players at a high level. His father played in the pros,” Swinney said.

McGriff is a zero-star recruit, but Dabo believes he found a diamond in the rough, as McGriff missed his senior season due to injury, but posted 44 receptions for 737 yards with six touchdowns in his junior season. He is expected to be a developmental piece of Clemson’s 2026 roster.

“Keil ended up having to miss his entire senior season, but he never played receiver until his junior year, so we really look at him more as an athlete at this point because he played quarterback his whole life. He was always the best athlete, and was a good, productive quarterback and certainly could give us an arm there if we needed it, but we really see him more as a receiver and a true athlete,” Swinney said.

Between all three additions, McGriff and Blivens bring high promise and potential out of high school, while Burburija provides the sort of proven ability that is sure to make an instant impact on the field next season.