Clemson’s first and only bye week of the 2026 season is now over, and with that, the program released its updated depth chart ahead of this weekend's matchup against FCS program Charleston Southern.
That said, here are three observations from the post-bye-week depth chart that stood out to us here at Clemson Tigers on SI, and what they could mean going forward.
New Starting Right Guard
Last week, Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke announced that he’d be making the transition from third-year Ronan O’Connell as the primary starting right guard to second-year Easton Ware, who has played a majority of his snaps at right tackle this season.
“I think finishing the game with Easton Ware in there gave us a little bit more athleticism right there at right guard, and I think moving forward, that’s where it’ll start,” Luke told the media last Tuesday.
O’Connell has struggled throughout the season at the position, and against Miami in Week 5, he posted arguably his worst performance, with a 0.0 pass-blocking PFF grade and two pressures. True freshman Grant Wise first came in to take over, but struggled just as much, allowing four pressures and two sacks across 30 snaps.
Ware then came in towards the end of the first half and successfully finished out the game at the position, posting a strong 85.5 pass-blocking grade while allowing zero pressures on the night.
“I’m super excited for the opportunity,” Ware said on Tuesday. “Originally, I was at right tackle, and I think Collin Sadler’s done a great job there. So I’m excited to fill in at right guard and do what I was coached to do.”
Defensive Line Adjustments
Similar to the offensive line, we’ve seen a lot of different rotations and adjustments with the front seven of Clemson’s defensive line, and that isn’t changing entering Week 7.
On the edge, Will Heldt remains the sole starter on one side, while fifth-year Jahiem Lawson is now listed as a co-starter alongside sophomore London Merritt, who was previously listed as a backup. The Colorado transfer has excelled over the past few weeks, logging eight tackles, two and a half for a loss, three pass deflections and one sack.
Regarding the interior, Darien Mayo has now assumed the role of a co-starter alongside JUCO transfer Andy Burburija, after spending the majority of his collegiate career at defensive end up to this point. However, Mayo has stood out to head coach Dabo Swinney after playing the past two contests at the position.
“Mayo’s been a good move. Again, we’ll see kind of where that goes as we evaluate every week based on performance and health and all that type of stuff because, obviously, he gives us some flexibility. But he’s been good in there,” Swinney said. “I mean, for a guy that hadn’t really played there, he’s done a good job. Very few missed assignments; smart kid; plays hard; he’s got length; he can extend; he can get off blocks. So that’s been a good thing for us.”
Third-year defensive tackle Champ Thompson has also assumed the role of a co-starter alongside sophomore Amare Adams, with Swinney mentioning that both have an arrow up by their names. Thompson has gradually earned his playing time throughout this season, and now he’ll get the best opportunity yet.
Behind Mayo and Burburija is Devarrick Woods, who was listed as one of three co-starters against Miami but barely saw the field as he was still working his way back from an injury that kept him out the previous week against Cal. As it stands, Swinney is still assessing his health for this week.
“Devarrick was a guy that was on the move for us, and then he got hurt. Missed the Cal trip; really couldn’t anchor like he wanted to in the last game,” he said on Tuesday. “So this has been big for him; we’ll see where he is this week. We’re really gonna need him down the stretch.”
“I’m anxious to see him today and tomorrow because I know he wants to play. But I also know that I need him to — because this is the only year he’s got — but we need him to be as close to 100% as we can as we get back into conference play, so we’ll see how he does today or tomorrow.”
Vic Burley is listed as a co-backup alongside Woods, as he’s been trying to work his way back into the rotation since his suspension that lasted up until Week 3 against North Carolina.
The most notable backup listed is West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly, who is expected to make his Clemson debut against the Buccaneers this weekend after suffering a torn ACL during spring camp.
“Getting Kourtney back is, again, a guy that I know we have high expectations for, but still hasn’t played,” Swinney finished. “But we know what we saw on this practice field. He’s got a high motor; he’s a relentless kid, so I think that’d help us.”
New Starter in the Secondary
With junior starter Corian Gipson now out for the remainder of the 2026 season due to a knee injury he suffered against No. 3 Miami in Week 5, sophomore Donovan Starr will now take over at the TIGER position. So far this season, the Auburn transfer has totaled three tackles in limited action.
“He was kind of the next guy up, so. I’m not gonna say we’re 100% confident yet because he’s gotta go do it, but we’ve seen it on the practice field,” Swinney praised. “He’s a guy that’s been on the rise for a while. He’s played corner; he’s played nickel. I think he’s a really good player.”
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