Clemson senior defensive tackle Vic Burley has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest early Saturday morning for disorderly conduct, head coach Dabo Swinney announced.
Swinney expressed strong disappointment regarding the decision to suspend the former five-star recruit.
“Earlier today, I was made aware of defensive tackle Vic Burley’s arrest by the Clemson University Police Department for disorderly conduct early Saturday morning,” Swinney said in a statement. “I have made the decision to suspend Vic from our football team indefinitely. We are extremely disappointed by his actions and decisions.”
Details of the CUPD Incident Report
The Clemson University Police Department released the official incident report on Monday, outlining the events leading to Burley’s arrest.
According to the report, officers responded at 2:15 a.m. Saturday after an unidentified student was spotted lying on the grass next to a parked, running truck belonging to Burley. Officers found Burley asleep in the driver’s seat and detected a strong odor of marijuana upon opening the vehicle door.
After waking Burley, officers noted he was unsteady on his feet, left his shoe inside the vehicle, spoke with slurred speech, and struggled to pull his identification from his wallet. Security camera footage showed the truck had been parked impeding the roadway since 10:40 p.m. Friday.
A subsequent search of the truck uncovered a THC vape and a Glock 19 handgun, with no immediate indication of ownership noted in the report. The transporting officer also detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage inside the patrol vehicle. Burley was booked without further incident.
Defensive Line Depth and Roster Impact
The suspension removes a key veteran option from Clemson’s interior defensive rotation just two weeks before the Tigers open their regular season at LSU on Sept. 5.
Burley has recorded 24 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss across 267 defensive snaps in 21 career games (one start). Despite dealing with minor injuries during fall camp, he had recently returned to action and produced several notable plays during Clemson’s second stadium scrimmage.
With Burley sidelined, Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong and sophomore former five-star recruit Amare Adams are projected to step into primary starting roles. Strong recorded two tackles for loss and a sack in 11 games at Oklahoma last season, while Adams spent 2025 learning behind NFL Draft selections DeMonte Capehart and Peter Woods.
Contenders and Reserves Stepping Up
Behind the projected starting interior pair, junior college All-American transfer Andy Burburija—who posted 18.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks last year at the JUCO level—and junior Champ Thompson are expected to see expanded rotational opportunities. West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly continues to recover from a spring ACL tear, with the program aiming for a potential late-season return.
To bolster available depth, Clemson will rely on Texas State transfer Devarrick Woods, graduate senior Caden Story, true freshman Kam Cody, and sixth-year senior Dietrick Pennington, who shifted from offensive line to defensive tackle earlier in fall camp.
