Clemson's defensive front took another hit coming out of Saturday night's season-opening loss at LSU.
Defensive tackle Markus Strong is expected to miss time after suffering a lower-leg injury in Clemson's 51-10 loss to LSU, head coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday.
Swinney initially expressed concern about Strong, an Oklahoma transfer, immediately following the game but did not have a confirmed diagnosis.
“Didn't sound good on Markus, unfortunately,” Swinney said Saturday night. “I don't have anything confirmed. We'll have to see tomorrow, but it did not sound good on him, lower leg injury. We will hope for the best from a timeline standpoint.”
A day later, Swinney said the initial news had not improved.
“Markus Strong, as I said last night, we did not get good news on him,” Swinney said during his Sunday teleconference. “So he will probably be out for a while. We'll probably find out a little more detail with him in the morning. But that's a tough loss for us.”
Swinney did not provide a specific timetable for Strong's return.
The injury adds another concern for a Clemson defensive front coming off a difficult night in Baton Rouge. LSU rushed for 309 yards in the Tigers' 51-10 win, repeatedly finding success on the ground as Clemson struggled to slow the LSU offense.
Strong, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound senior, is part of a defensive tackle group that has fallen under the microscope due to a lack of success in recent years. Additionally, the Tigers are without Vic Burley (suspended indefinitely), Kourtney Kelly (ACL), and Hevin Brown-Shuler (Hodgkin lymphoma), shortening the depth even further.
Champ Thompson was also injured a couple of times on Saturday, but Swinney did say there was some promising news on that front.
“I think Champ was able to come back,” Swinney said afterward. “So he got banged up a few times.”
Thompson ultimately made an impact despite those issues, recording two pass breakups against LSU. According to Clemson, he became the first Tigers defensive tackle credited by gameday stat crews with two pass breakups in a game since DeMonte Capehart against Florida State in 2024.
Strong's absence will leave Clemson needing to reshuffle its rotation quickly. The Tigers return to Memorial Stadium Saturday for their home opener against Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network.
