Clemson football suffered so many injuries in 2021 that they were down to 27 scholarship players in the bowl game against Iowa State.
There was hope that the injury luck would change for the Tigers this season, but at least earlier on that’s proven not to be the case.
Defensive tackle Tre Williams has had knee surgery and hopes to be back by the opener, a shoulder injury forced Lannden Zanders to step away from football and earlier this week Dabo Swinney announced that true freshman defensive back Myles Oliver was done for the season because he need shoulder surgery.
Now comes word that both Beaux Collins and E.J. Williams are injured and not practicing, with Collins in street clothes and Williams in a yellow jersey Friday morning.
Swinney is not expected to address the media until Saturday and will speak to the situation at that time.
Collins reeled in 31 receptions for 407 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman and appeared to be primed for a breakout season in 2022.
Williams battled injuries throughout last fall’s campaign and recorded only 9 catches for 66 yards, but has flashed athleticism and hands at various points over his first two years at Clemson and in camp this fall.
Clemson football is in desperate need of playmakers at the wide receiver position and injuries are not a good sign three weeks before the opener
For a Clemson team in desperate need of playmakers at the wide receiver position, this is not good news a little more than three weeks from the season opener against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
The Tigers are heavy favorites, as they will be in game 2 (Furman) and 3 (Louisiana Tech), but given how poorly the offense performed last season the more the offense is able to work together as a unit the better off they are likely to be.
The defensive line is deep and talented and Tre Williams temporary absence is not seen as a big deal, Zanders was generally thought of as a third option at safety and Oliver was bound for a redshirt even without an injury, the injuries to Collins and Williams are much more concerning.