Release from Clemson
After signing 20 new freshman members of the Clemson Family during the early signing period in December, an additional three future Clemson student-athletes signed on Wednesday, Feb. 4 to play football at Clemson.
Bios on Clemson’s signees and comments from Head Coach Dabo Swinney on each addition are included below.
SIGNEE BIOS
Cam Blivens, WR
Lipscomb Academy
Nashville, Tenn.
In High School: Tallied 1,086 yards on 63 receptions as a senior … credited with 14 total touchdowns, including two passing touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns … recorded 1,317 yards of total offense … also posted 32 tackles and three interceptions in contributing defensively for half of the season … was a Division II-AAA first-team all-state and all-region honoree … named as a first-team All-615 selection by 615 Preps … rated by Rivals as the No. 33 athlete and the No. 35 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee in his recruiting class … multi-sport star who was named Middle Tennessee Boys Athlete of the Year by The Tennessean for 2024-25 … lettered in football, basketball and track and field … was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Tennessee for a junior campaign in which he averaged 24.3 points per game … entered his senior basketball season as a two-time all-region and all-state pick … reached the 2,000-point mark for his high school basketball career in January 2026 … turned down Division I basketball offers to pursue football … also earned all-state honors in the high jump in 2025 after clearing 6’2” at the state meet … coached by Jamie Graham at Lipscomb.
Personal: Academic standout who was initially committed to Columbia.
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Andy Burburija, DT
Crystal Lake South HS | Iowa Western CC
Crystal Lake, Ill.
Before Clemson: Played two seasons at Iowa Western Community College from 2024-25, totaling 78 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks and a forced fumble … earned first-team NJCAA All-America honors as a sophomore after compiling 45 tackles (18.5 for loss) and 11.0 sacks in helping the Reivers earn a national championship … collected a career-high eight tackles (2.5 for loss) with 2.0 sacks in the national championship victory over Hutchinson … helped Iowa Western earn an appearance in the NJCAA National Championship as a freshman … exited Iowa Western ranked as 247Sports’ 47th-best overall community-college prospect in the class of 2026 … ranked 65th in that group by Rivals … regarded by ESPN as the eighth-best community-college defensive tackle in his class … was a three-time all-conference selection at Crystal Lake (Ill.) South High School … earned all-state honors as a senior after recording 92 tackles (22.0 for loss), 6.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a safety and a return touchdown … also competed in wrestling as a three-time state qualifier, including a state runner-up finish as a senior.
Personal: Born Nov. 21, 2005 … first-generation American whose parents are of Albanian descent … last name pronounced “bur-bur-REE-uh.”
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Keil McGriff, WR
Buchholz HS
Gainesville, Fla.
In High School: Versatile contributor who finished his prep career with 4,741 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns, 893 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, and 787 receiving yards with eight receiving touchdowns … also contributed 65 tackles, four interceptions and one punt return touchdown … collected 6,421 combined yards of total offense … missed the majority of his senior high school season with an ankle injury after catching 48 passes for 787 yards (16.4 yards per reception) with eight touchdowns as a junior … earned first-team all-area honors from the Gainesville Sun in helping Buchholz to a 10-4 record and a berth in the FSHAA 6A state semifinals … recorded 14 catches for 162 yards against Osceola in the state semifinals … spent his first two prep seasons at Newberry HS, where he played quarterback and defensive back … led Newberry to the state playoffs and earned honorable mention all-state recognition as a freshman while playing both sides of the ball … threw for 2,586 yards with 30 passing touchdowns and added 518 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns as a sophomore in leading Newberry to a 9-3 mark and a regional semifinal appearance … was a Mainstreet Daily News All-Area pick as both a freshman and sophomore … also played basketball at Newberry before focusing solely on football at Buchholz … coached at Buchholz by Mark Whittemore.
Personal: Son of Travis McGriff and grandson of Lee McGriff, both of whom were first-team All-SEC receivers at Florida … Travis was a 1996 national champion who recorded 123 career catches for 2,057 yards with the Gators before becoming a third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 1999 … Travis’ 1,357 receiving yards in 1998 were an SEC single-season record … Lee recorded 87 receptions for 1,551 yards at Florida before playing for the inaugural Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad in 1976, coaching at Florida under former Clemson head coach Charley Pell and serving more than 25 years as Florida’s color analyst on radio.
COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY
On WR Cam Blivens:
“Cam Blivens is a really high-level basketball player that probably could have gone on and played college basketball, but he really made more of the commitment to football over the past year or so and has really, really blossomed. He is a big-time, super athlete, a multi-sport guy. He’s scored over 2,000 points in his basketball career in the state of Tennessee. He is an elite athlete, but a big, tough, physical, strong receiver coming from a great program. And he’s a guy that we were really fortunate that he didn’t sign in the early signing period and it worked out for us to be able to find him and get on him. I think he’s got high upside as he truly commits to one sport.”
On DT Andy Burburija:
“Andy Burburija is big kid we identified really early when the portal opened. Man, he’s a strong, tough, physical kid. He’s a national champion, and you don’t see many defensive tackles that have 11 sacks. He’s a very unique story. He’s a first-generation American. His parents are from Albania, and he’s got this tremendous drive to him that I think has really helped him develop into the player that he’s become. Coming from national champion Iowa Western, he’s a guy we’re super excited about joining our program and bringing some toughness to that defense.”
On WR Keil McGriff:
“Keil McGriff is an athlete. He’s a kid that has played quarterback, receiver and corner, and he’s a returner. So he’s got a diverse skill set. He got big-time bloodlines. His father was a great player. His grandfather was a great player. The whole McGriff family, they were all great, great players at a high level. His father played in the pros. Keil ended up having to miss his entire senior season, but he never played receiver until his junior year, so we really look at him more as an athlete at this point because he played quarterback his whole life. He was always the best athlete, and was a good, productive quarterback and certainly could give us an arm there if we needed it, but we really see him more as a receiver and a true athlete. He’s got a really good skill set there, and he’s been a returner, but he’s a guy that really fit a need for us within our 14 spots that we have, so I’m excited about him joining us and getting back healthy.”