Clemson Football: Kendall Joseph to miss GT game, what does it mean?

Clemson football linebacker Kendall Joseph will miss the Georgia Tech game due to injury. What does it mean for the Tigers going forward?

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney confirmed Friday morning that starting linebacker Kendall Joseph will be missing the Georgia Tech game Saturday.

According to Tigernet, Joseph injured his groin in practice this week and won’t even make the trip to Atlanta with the team.

Behind Joseph on the depth chart is graduate J.D. Davis, who will try to assume the role that Joseph has been playing for several years now. This means that we will also likely see more of redshirt sophomore Shaq Smith, who is third on that depth chart, in this game.

What does it mean?

You never like to lose a guy like Kendall Joseph in a game like this. He has seen that Georgia Tech option attack four years and knows what to expect.

He is also the “quarterback” of the defense. Joseph is able to call out the plays and read things better than most because of his experience.

Even with his injury, though, I think the Tigers will be fine against the Yellow Jackets. J.D. Davis also has plenty of experience playing against the option and I believe Clemson will still be able to pretty much take care of business against Tech.

The problem going forward, however, is the fact that it’s a groin injury.

Swinney didn’t tell the extent of the injury, but the problem about a groin injury is that it sometimes can be lingering. I’ve seen instances where a groin injury, even with great treatment, ends up lingering and stifling a player for an entire season.

It can also be a deal where after a week or two, it’s completely better. There’s just no prediction because each one is different.

We wish Kendall Joseph the best in the recovery process and hope to see him back on the field for Clemson football very soon.