Clemson heads into Saturday night’s showdown with No. 4 Miami still sorting through a pile of injuries, and the defensive side of the ball is where the uncertainty is thickest.
Coach Dabo Swinney addressed the situation Tuesday in his weekly news conference, with the first ACC-mandated availability report still to come Wednesday at 8 p.m. Clemson will then update the report Thursday, Friday and again before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC from Memorial Stadium.
The biggest question mark is starting nickelback Corian Gipson. He didn’t travel to Cal and played just two snaps the week before against UNC while working through a lingering injury. Swinney said Gipson is practicing this week, but nothing is settled yet.
“We’ll see,” Swinney said of Gipson playing vs. Miami.
When Gipson sat out against Cal, safety Ronan Hanafin picked up extra work as Clemson’s fifth defensive back, while Auburn transfer Donovan Starr logged a season-high 17 snaps.
Defensive tackle Devarrick Woods is another name to watch. He also missed the trip to Cal after getting hurt in Clemson’s home win over UNC, where the Texas State transfer earned his first career start. Swinney called Woods “day to day” entering the Miami game.
Without Woods against Cal, Clemson slid defensive end Darien Mayo inside to defensive tackle. The 6-foot-7 Mayo made that move count, finishing with four tackles and a fourth-down pass breakup. That could mean more snaps at the spot going forward.
Up front on offense, starting left guard Elyjah Thurmon left the Cal game and did not return. He was on the field for just 17 of a possible 74 offensive snaps, or 23 percent. Swinney said Tuesday that Thurmon is also “day to day.”
That opened the door for sophomore Gavin Blanchard, who stepped in at left guard and played a career-high 57 snaps. Swinney praised Blanchard’s work off the bench, and he would likely draw another start if Thurmon can’t go against Miami.
There was at least one encouraging sign late against Cal: starting cornerback Elliot Washington II briefly headed to the locker room in the second half, but he came back and later sealed the game with an interception of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He also spoke to the media afterward, and Swinney referenced Washington as playing vs. Miami multiple times on Tuesday, all of which points to him being ready.
Quarterback Christopher Vizzina, who is dealing with a left elbow injury, was listed as “available” on Clemson’s final Cal availability report. He did not play behind freshman starter Tait Reynolds and hasn’t appeared in a game since getting hurt against Georgia Southern in Week 2. Vizzina is still wearing a large brace on his left arm, and while Swinney wasn’t asked directly about him Tuesday, his status will be worth tracking in the reports this week.
One more player to keep an eye on is West Georgia transfer defensive tackle Kourtney Kelly. He tore his ACL in spring practice, and Clemson’s staff had viewed him as a possible 2026 starter before the injury.
Swinney said on his radio show Monday that Kelly has been working back into some team practice activities, and the team is “hopeful” he can be available after Clemson’s open week on Oct. 10.
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The problem is that Miamis offense brings a level of rhythm and efficiency that tends to stress every coverage mistake, and Clemson knows the challenge is bigger than simply sticking with receivers for a few snaps. This is the kind of game that can validate all the progress the Tigers secondary has made, or expose just how far it still has to go against an attack that has not given opponents much room for error. For Clemson, the attraction is obvious: if the back end can stand up here, it says something real about where this defense is headed. [Read more 🡒]