Clemson is still in the middle of its 2026 season, but the bye week turned into a chance for Dabo Swinney and his staff to zoom out and start sorting through what comes next.
The Tigers still have seven games left, starting with Charleston Southern on Oct. 17, yet Swinney made it clear the downtime was used to dig into roster management, offseason decisions and the personnel puzzle that will carry into December and January. He said the staff spent part of the week reviewing how things have gone since the previous offseason and assessing where certain players stand.
“There's some personnel things that I think we really needed to study, and sometimes guys just need to be challenged, and sometimes guys just need an opportunity,” he said. “And so, evaluating that part of it, how we've done with that, just going through our personnel in detail.”
That evaluation naturally led to bigger-picture thinking, especially with the 2027 roster in mind. Swinney said multiple times during his Oct. 12 radio hour and Oct. 13 media availability that among what he considers Clemson’s top-25 players, only linebacker Jeremiah Alexander and defensive end Jahiem Lawson have no eligibility left after this season.
That doesn’t mean everyone else is automatically staying. Swinney acknowledged that some players with options will head for the NFL, and he specifically pointed to defensive back Ashton Hampton and defensive end Will Heldt as projected first-rounders in this year’s draft. Even so, he sounded convinced the current NIL environment could influence some players to stick around.
“Some guys will have a decision make based on whatever grade they get,” he said. “And honestly, why would you go pro? … If you're a third-rounder or below, if you're a really good college player, you're taking a pay cut in the NFL.”
There are only three players on Clemson’s current depth chart listed as being in their fifth season of college football. Swinney said he understands the program won’t bring everybody back for 2027, but retention is clearly part of the conversation as the Tigers look beyond this season.
That future planning was matched by some very present reshuffling. Clemson’s depth chart changed in several spots after the bye, with injuries and performance both shaping the moves.
The biggest change that wasn’t injury-related was Easton Ware moving into the starting spot at right guard. Swinney said the staff had initially wanted to slide Ware inside during the 2026 season after he missed his freshman year because of a shoulder injury. But when right tackle Collin Sadler got hurt, Ware was needed outside against LSU, delaying that plan.
Since then, Ronan O’Connell has struggled at right guard, and Ware is now the answer there.
“I'm super excited for the opportunity,” Ware said. “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’m coached to do.”
Clemson is also trying to get a closer look at some of its depth pieces. Swinney said the staff wants reps for Jay Haynes at running back as he continues working back from a long injury stretch that goes back to 2024. He also expects Kourtney Kelly back at defensive tackle this week after Kelly tore his ACL in the spring.
The Tigers have had to keep rotating bodies inside, even moving Darien Mayo into the interior to help cover for Kelly, Markus Strong and Devarrick Woods.
Another player the staff hopes to get involved this week is Christopher Vizzina. He opened the season as Clemson’s starter before injuring his elbow against Georgia Southern on Sept. 12, which opened the door for freshman Tait Reynolds. Vizzina is not fully healthy yet and has only recently come out of his arm brace, but Swinney wants to get him on the field if possible.
“It'd be great to be able to get him back out there because, again, this is a guy who came out of camp as the starter that we really believe in,” Swinney said.
Even with Charleston Southern on deck, the focus inside the program has stayed squarely on Clemson itself. Swinney said the bye week was about controlling what the Tigers can control and not getting caught up in the rest.
“When I say it's all about Clemson, I’m not taking anything away from anybody, I'm just focusing on the things that we control because there's a lot of stuff you don't control,” Swinney said.
“It's about how we play, not who we play, where we play, what time we play, what the weather is. It's just how we play.
We are obsessed with that. We're going to get better.
We'll take a step forward.”
In Other News...
Clemsons Guard Depth Takes Another Hit With Zac Foster Down Again
Clemsons backcourt depth took another blow in mid-October when sophomore guard Zac Foster learned the knee he had already rehabbed had suffered a second ACL tear. The injury was confirmed by an MRI on Oct. 12, leaving the Tigers without a timetable for his return and forcing the staff to account for another lost piece before the season even settles in.
Brad Brownell has made clear Foster remains part of the programs daily fabric despite the setback, and the guards continued involvement around the team matters for a group that has already had to adjust its plans. For Clemson, the challenge now is not just replacing minutes, but managing a rotation that was supposed to lean on Fosters development and instead has to keep moving without knowing when, or how soon, he can get back. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Thinned D-Line Could Finally Get A Needed Boost
A long wait on Clemsons defensive front may be nearing an end. Defensive tackle Kourtney Kelly, who tore his ACL in March, is expected to make his season debut against Charleston Southern, and Dabo Swinney said Kelly has already been taking part in competitive practice work. He is also listed as a backup on the depth chart, a sign that the Tigers are at least preparing to work him back into the mix.
For a defensive line that has had to absorb injuries and departures, Kellys return comes at a useful time. Clemson has leaned on its depth more than planned, and getting another body back inside should help ease some of that pressure as the season moves forward. Whether Kelly is ready to immediately reclaim a major role is still a separate question, but simply having him available again gives the Tigers another needed option up front. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Backcourt Just Took A Brutal Hit Again
Clemsons backcourt has been hit with another tough blow, as sophomore guard Zac Foster tore his ACL again and is likely done for the season. It is a painful repeat for Foster, who was already sidelined by the same injury during his freshman year, leaving the Tigers to adjust once more around a guard rotation that had hoped to gain stability with his return.
Brad Brownell and Foster both addressed the setback in statements, reflecting the disappointment that comes with another lengthy recovery for a player still trying to get his college career moving in the right direction. For Clemson, the concern now is less about one lost piece than about how to keep the backcourt intact after losing a player who was expected to help deepen it. [Read more 🡒]