Clemson’s secondary has taken another hit, and this one removes a familiar face from the rest of the regular season.
During his Sunday weekly teleconference, Dabo Swinney said cornerback Donovan Starr will be sidelined for the remainder of the year because of an ankle injury. Starr, an Auburn transfer, had been working in the nickel spot for roughly the last month after Corian Gipson, the Tigers’ opening-day nickelback, also went down with a season-ending injury.
“Maybe he’ll be back for the postseason. We’ll see,” Swinney said. “But, he’ll definitely be out these next few games.”
Starr’s injury came in Clemson’s win over Syracuse this past weekend. Before leaving, he had put together a useful season in a larger role, finishing with 12 total tackles, three pass breakups and three pass deflections.
That leaves Clemson with even fewer options in a secondary that has already been thinned out by injuries. Swinney and defensive coordinator Tom Allen now have to sort through a short list of replacements with the regular season winding down.
The most likely next man up is senior Branden Strozier. The Lovejoy, Georgia, native stepped into Starr’s spot after the injury and finished the game at Syracuse with a tackle. For now, he appears to be the favorite to hold that role moving forward.
Swinney also pointed to two other possibilities. One is freshman Marcell Gipson Jr., a Dallas native who has earned praise from the defensive staff this season and saw snaps against Charleston Southern in October. Gipson, a mid-year enrollee this January, was a three-star recruit in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.
The other option is senior Misun Kelley, a former wide receiver who moved to defensive back in the 2025 offseason. The Central native has three tackles this season and has seen time in the secondary, though Starr had moved ahead of him as the year went on.
Clemson will have to settle the spot quickly, but Strozier looks like the front-runner for now. The Tigers return to action against Georgia Tech next Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
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