With Clemson missing nearly 30 players total due to a combination of injuries, opt-outs and transfers, are there any players in particular who have stood out to head coach Dabo Swinney with extra reps in bowl practice?
That question was asked of Swinney on Friday when he met with the media before Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl game against Penn State at Yankee Stadium in New York (noon, ABC).
Swinney named several players who stuck with him in the lead-up to the bowl. The first name he mentioned was true freshman wide receiver Juju Preston, who enrolled at Clemson last summer after a prolific prep career.
Preston have only played one game this season. The 6-foot, 155-pounder made his varsity debut against Furman on Nov. 22, catching a pass for 4 yards and returning a punt 10 yards.
A former three-star prospect, Preston was credited with 185 receptions for 3,700 yards and 67 touchdowns during his prep career. He is the all-time receiving touchdown leader in Virginia state history.
“One guy in particular is Juju, who we’ve talked about a lot,” Swinney said. “He’s a guy that’s really taken advantage of it. We’ve been able to move him around. It’s been fun to be able to experiment a little bit with him, his skills, and can he play inside, can he play outside, can he play inbounds? It’s been really good. I think his development has exploded. He’s one of those guys.”
Swinney also highlighted a few defensive linemen – redshirt freshman Darien Mayo and redshirt junior Caden Story.
Story has played 33 defensive snaps in four games this season, totaling two total tackles, while Mayo has played 43 defensive snaps in six games this season and made one tackle. Story entered the 2025 season credited with four tackles in 119 defensive snaps in 19 career games from 2022 to 2024, and Mayo entered this season coming off a redshirt campaign in 2024 in which he collected four tackles (0.5 for loss) in 33 defensive snaps in three games.
Both are former four-star prospects and former top-150 national prospects.
“A guy like Darien Mayo on defense, who we see a lot of promise in,” Swinney said. “Now all of a sudden he’s a second-team rep all the way through. He’s got a ton of work. So it’s created a lot more opportunities for him.
“A guy like Caden Story, who hasn’t played much, but he’s a guy we’ve always seen flashes of and potential. He just hasn’t really put it all together. Now he has a huge opportunity. He’s a guy you hope will step up.”
Continuing on players who stood out in the lead-up to the bowl, Swinney also singled out redshirt sophomore cornerback Branden Strozier.
Strozier has accumulated 262 defensive snaps in 11 games this season while recording 14 total tackles and five assists. He finished the regular season strong, making four tackles and two assists against Furman before racking up six tackles and two assists at South Carolina.
A former four-star recruit, Strozier entered 2025 credited with four tackles in 80 defensive snaps in 10 career games over his first two seasons from 2023-24.
“Branden Strozier is a guy that has grown tremendously throughout the year,” Swinney said. “With [cornerback Avieon Terrell] outside, it’s good to see him. I think he’s one of those guys that stood out to me throughout the entire bowl build.
