Five-Star Defensive Standout Signs with Clemson

★★★★★ | Vic Burley 6’5, 275 | Warner Robins, Warner Robins, Georgia

Georgia AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Burley‍ signs with Clemson and is a consensus top-80 recruit nationally.

Rankings: Consensus top-80 national player from the nation’s largest recruiting services … listed as the No. 18 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, which also listed him as the second-best defensive tackle and second-best player in Georgia … Clemson’s highest-rated player in its 2023 class according to 247Sports … ranked 39th in Sports Illustrated’s SI99 for 2023 … five-star recruit according to PrepStar, which ranked him as the No. 41 overall player in the nation, the third-best player in Georgia and the fifth-best defensive tackle in the nation … ranked by Rivals as the nation’s No. 69 player, the third-best player in Georgia and the No. 8 defensive tackle in the nation … ESPN.com ranked him as the nation’s No. 76 overall player, fifth-best in the state of Georgia and the No. 7 defensive tackle … ranked as the No. 120 player in the nation by On3, which ranked him as the ninth-best player in Georgia and 14th-best defensive tackle in the nation. 

In High School: Earned 5A Defensive Player of the Year honors in Georgia … preseason Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 selection … helped Warner Robins to state championships in his sophomore and junior seasons and a state championship berth as a senior … played 47 career games at Warner Robins, producing 188 tackles and 55 tackles for loss, including 22 sacks for -111 yards … recorded an incredible 138 quarterback hurries … as a senior, helped coach Marquis Westbrook’s team to a 10-5 record, rebounding from a 1-4 start to earn a state championship appearance … had three tackles for loss against both Houston County and Jenkins … had season-high eight tackles in win over Cartersville … credited with eight quarterback hurries in two different games … finished 2022 with 57 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks, and also saw some time at tight end, adding three catches for 52 yards and two scores … as a junior in 2021, had 54 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss with five sacks … had career-best 53 quarterback hurries for the season … recorded 13 hurries vs. Jones County … helped team to 12-1 record and a state title … posted four tackles for loss and seven tackles in win over Creekside … had career-high 59 tackles in 13 games in 2020 … posted 22 tackles for loss with 11 sacks and added 46 hurries … recorded 10 sacks in first six games of the year … posted three tackles for loss in five of the first six games … notched four tackles for loss vs. Lee County … second-team all-state according to MaxPreps as a sophomore in 2020 as he helped his team to a 13-1 record and a state title … invited to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Personal: Committed to Clemson on June 5, 2022 … born Jan. 5, 2005 … cousin of Clemson Defensive Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Tackles Coach Nick Eason … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2023.

Our Take:

Luke Winstel

Vic Burley is the epitome of a gentle giant. He’s one of the kindest recruits I’ve met off the field but one of the meanest I’ve watched on the field.

Between the lines, Burley is a freak. He can play inside or outside on the defensive line and is one of the best run defenders I’ve seen in the 2023 class. He singlehandedly blows up plays and has body-slammed quarterbacks on multiple occasions (like this one):

After his high school games, he often greeted and thanked fans for supporting him and the football program. He was a popular member of the Warner Robins community for a good reason. Burley is invested in his community, has a mature persona, and hopes to inspire others on and off the field. As one college coach told me earlier this month, “Vic is a good man. He checks all the boxes.”

Morgan Thomas - Would you believe he can catch touchdowns as a tight end/H back too? As a defender, Burley maintains leverage and fills gaps very well. He is a big-body guy who uses angles and his first-contact explosiveness to shed blockers. A run-stopping specialist. 

Hudl Video: