--- title: "Clemson’s 2026 Defense: Spring Winners (and Remaining Questions) | w/ guests Jon Blau, Chapel Fowler" description: Clemson football faces some questions on defense with spring practice closed out for 2026 and fall camp approaching, we analyze where the Tigers stand image: https://clemsonkickoff.com/hubfs/Spring-Fall-Ep3-DEFENSE-THUMB%20(1).png --- [Skip to content](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler#main-content) [![Death Valley Intro Outline 2](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Death%20Valley%20Intro%20Outline%202.png?width=600&height=209&name=Death%20Valley%20Intro%20Outline%202.png)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/) - [Recent Episodes](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast) - [Tiger Trends](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/tiger-trends) - [Get Alerts](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news-alerts-clemson-sports) - [Podcast](https://goodpods.com/podcasts/reign-supreme-alway-sports-in-clemson-240902) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Recent Episodes](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast) - [Tiger Trends](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/tiger-trends) - [Get Alerts](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news-alerts-clemson-sports) - [Podcast](https://goodpods.com/podcasts/reign-supreme-alway-sports-in-clemson-240902) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) # What time is Clemson kickoff?  **• Charleston So. at Clemson, Saturday, Oct. 17, Noon, ACCN • Virginia Tech at Clemson, Saturday, Oct. 24, TBD • Clemson at Florida St., Saturday, Oct. 31, TBD** May 24, 2026 | 9:12 PM # Clemson’s 2026 Defense: Spring Winners (and Remaining Questions) | w/ guests Jon Blau, Chapel Fowler [Staff Report](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report) Share: [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler) [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler) All right, college sports fans -- We've got spring practice takeaways for Clemson's defense with two people who saw the Tigers up close. From Sammy Brown's keystone role at linebacker to Ashton Hampton's next steps at cornerback, question marks at defensive tackle, and transfers to talk about at every level (even if they didn't all stick around), the 2026 post‑spring defensive depth chart outlook for Tom Allen's Tigers D is right here. Many thanks to Jon Blau and Chapel Fowler for spending time with us for this episode and the entire three-part series. Today we close it out by answering some of the biggest questions for Clemson’s defense, while identifying which ones remain. Yes, despite all the transfers coming in for Dabo Swinney's Tigers, there are some clear areas of uncertainty on Clemson’s defense. Check it all out in this Clemson football 2026 defensive preview, regarding where things stand exiting the spring and well before the fall arrives. Be sure to let us know your thoughts about the Tigers in the comments below, and don’t forget to smash "Subscribe" for more content about Clemson sports! From football on the field and recruiting updates to baseball, softball, soccer, basketball and more, you can catch up on the biggest happenings with the Tigers right here. For extra content, see our Tiger Trends blog at ClemsonKickoff.com. We're glad you found us -- y'all be sure to watch on [YouTube.com/ClemsonKickoff](http://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) so you can share your reactions in the comments, and find us on social media @ClemsonKickoff! ![2026 schedule horizontal (3)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(3).png?width=960&height=282&name=2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(3).png)   [Reign Supreme Alway podcast](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast) ## More Clemson Tigers Analysis [![Clemson's Sammy Brown and players from UNC, Cal and Miami with the headline "3 Critical Games that Could Lift Clemson's Hopes (or Bury Them)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/early-acc-sked-peek-2026-THUMB-cred-2.png?height=200&name=early-acc-sked-peek-2026-THUMB-cred-2.png)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-first-3-acc-games-unc-cal-miami) ## [Why Clemson’s First 3 ACC Games Are Pivotal: UNC, Cal and Miami](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-first-3-acc-games-unc-cal-miami) July 30, 2026 | 5:16 PM All right, college sports fans -- Clemson’s ACC hopes in 2026 rely heavily on three critical... [Read more](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-first-3-acc-games-unc-cal-miami) [![](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Spring-to-Fall-Ep-1-THUMB%20(1).png?height=200&name=Spring-to-Fall-Ep-1-THUMB%20(1).png)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-2026-replacing-nfl-draft-picks) ## [Clemson's 2026 Overhaul: Replacing NFL Draft Picks, Reviving Mind Set | Part 1: Jon Blau, Chapel Fowler Join](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-2026-replacing-nfl-draft-picks) May 3, 2026 | 9:00 PM All right, college sports fans -- How Clemson will replace its nine NFL Draft picks is just one... [Read more](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-football-2026-replacing-nfl-draft-picks) [![Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and UNC coach Bill Belichick against a decorative background of Death Valley and the headline Tigers Seek a Clean Win: Week 3, Clemson vs. UNC](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/unc-preview-THUMB-2026%20(1).png?height=200&name=unc-preview-THUMB-2026%20(1).png)](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-crucial-test-will-unc-upset-dabo-swinney-in-cfb-week-3) ## [Clemson's Crucial Test: Will UNC Upset Dabo Swinney in CFB Week 3?](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-crucial-test-will-unc-upset-dabo-swinney-in-cfb-week-3) September 17, 2026 | 5:03 PM Dabo Swinney’s Clemson football team needs to start getting the easy things right in order for the... [Read more](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-crucial-test-will-unc-upset-dabo-swinney-in-cfb-week-3) [Follow us on Facebook](https://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) [X Twitter icon](https://www.x.com/clemsonkickoff) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/company/clemsonkickoff) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/clemsonkickoff) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.instagram.com/clemsonkickoff) - [Recent Episodes](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast) - [Tiger Trends](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/tiger-trends) - [Get Alerts](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news-alerts-clemson-sports) - [Podcast](https://goodpods.com/podcasts/reign-supreme-alway-sports-in-clemson-240902) --- [![](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/No-Szn%20Logo%20Std%20Gray.png?width=500&height=500&name=No-Szn%20Logo%20Std%20Gray.png)](https://clemsonkickoff.com) Copyright © 2026, Clemson Kickoff ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Staff Report", "url" : "https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report" }, "dateModified" : "2026-05-25T01:12:41.710Z", "datePublished" : "2026-05-25T01:12:41.000Z", "headline" : "Clemson’s 2026 Defense: Spring Winners (and Remaining Questions) | w/ guests Jon Blau, Chapel Fowler", "image" : [ "https://clemsonkickoff.com/hubfs/Spring-Fall-Ep3-DEFENSE-THUMB%20(1).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-2026-defense-spring-winners-and-remaining-questions-w/-guests-jon-blau-chapel-fowler", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://clemsonkickoff.com/hubfs/No-Szn%20Logo%20Std%20Gray.png" } } } ```