Clemson was beat up on offense coming out of the Florida State game, but the Tigers appear to have suffered an injury they cannot afford in the defensive backfield. Starting nickelback Donovan Starr has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season due to an ankle injury. Although Dabo Swinney is optimistic about Starr's chances of returning for the bowl game, he will be missing the next three.
Swinney said on Sunday that Starr will "probably be out for the season. Maybe he'll be back for the postseason. We'll see, but he'll definitely be out these next few games." Starr replaced Corian Gipson mid-season at nickel after his year came to an end. This cluster of injuries puts even more emphasis on players like Branden Strozier and Marcell Gipson Jr. to step up in the wake of Starr now being out.
Furthermore, Starr's injury compromises a key part of Clemson's defensive identity. The best part of Clemson's defense is its secondary. While Jerome Carter III, Ashton Hampton, Corey Myrick, and Elliot Washington II are all healthy, Clemson being down effectively two starters in the defensive backfield could make things hard when it comes to beating Duke and South Carolina later on this fall.
Dabo IDs Branden Strozier (who played a good bit vs. Syracuse) and Marcel Gipson Jr. as two guys who can step in at nickel with Starr out for the year. The team's regular starter at nickel, Corian Gipson, suffered a season-ending injury last month. Dabo calls it a "tough break" https://t.co/knL8Mxf93b
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 8, 2026
Clemson needs a game plan to stop Nate Sheppard and LaNorris Sellers
While Clemson should be able to get past lowly Georgia Tech with relative ease, the same thing does not apply to either Duke or South Carolina in the Tigers' final two games of the regular season. Duke is led by its star running back Nate Sheppard, while South Carolina's midseason resurgence is thanks to the tremendous play of their star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers. Both guys love to run the football.
Since Starr's role is important in covering the slot and helping out on run defense, this injury makes Clemson quite vulnerable whenever Duke or South Carolina are on offense. Given that Clemson is still not that strong to begin with along the defensive line, those two- and three-yard carries may become five- and six-yard carries if Clemson does not have the right game plan to rectify this growing issue.
Because Clemson is not a prolific offense by any stretch of the imagination, being down another key contributor on defense could cause the Tigers to lose time of possession in both critical games down the stretch. If Clemson defeats Georgia Tech and Duke, it will have an outside chance at making it to Charlotte one last time. While the South Carolina game is in the non-conference, this is a huge rivalry.
Right now, Tom Allen must make sure Strozier and Marcell Gipson Jr. are in advantageous positions to succeed in filling in for Starr, who filled in marvelously for Corian Gipson. Swinney may favor the other side of the ball, but he should know how important this injury could be for the Tigers. Georgia Tech may be the worst Power Four team Clemson will play all year, but Duke and South Carolina are strong.
If Clemson is not careful, the Tigers could potentially finish the season on a two-game losing streak.
Add us as a preferred source on Google