Clemson defensive tackle ‘out a while’ after knee injury, report says

The Clemson football team could be without a defensive lineman early in the season after he got hurt in the opening scrimmage of fall camp, according to a report.

TigerIllustrated.com, citing sources, reported Monday that true freshman defensive tackle Vic Burley is “going to be out a while” after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s scrimmage at Memorial Stadium.

Burley’s recovery timeline is unclear, according to the website, but he could be in line to miss “multiple games” for the No. 9 Tigers.

Burley enrolled early at Clemson as a top 100 national recruit out of Warner Robins (Ga.) High School and is expected to contend for rotational snaps along the Tigers’ defensive line, which has two established starters in Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro and a number of talented reserves.

Burley, listed at 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, was the the state of Georgia’s 5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and racked up 188 tackles, 138 quarterback hurries, 55 tackles and 22 sacks during his prep career.

He was also one of the top-ranked recruits in Clemson’s class of 2023, which ranked No. 11 nationally. Burley was a consensus top 100 recruit who ranked No. 71 in 247Sports’ composite player rankings.

Burley has spent fall camp competing with highly touted freshmen Peter Woods and Stephiylan Green and veterans Tré Williams, Payton Page and DeMonte Capehart for rotational defensive tackle snaps behind Davis and Orhorhoro.

A team spokesperson told The State on Monday they couldn’t confirm the report. Coach Dabo Swinney is next scheduled to address the media Wednesday after Clemson’s second scrimmage of fall camp.

Speaking with media after Saturday’s scrimmage, Swinney said the team had “two or three guys go down, but I think most everybody was OK. ... We had maybe one guy that I got to check on that had to leave.” He added that he’d get further clarity after meeting with the team’s medical staff later that day.

The Tigers, coming off an 11-3 season featuring an ACC championship and Orange Bowl appearance, open the 2023 season at Duke on Monday Sept. 4 (8 p.m., ESPN).