Clemson’s injury worries from the Furman game became official Sunday night — and the news wasn’t good.
Head coach Dabo Swinney announced that both tight end Olsen Patt-Henry and defensive end Jahiem Lawson will be out following injuries suffered in Saturday’s win, with each scheduled for surgery.
“Obviously, Olsen, he’s going to be out. I think he’s got surgery tomorrow,” Swinney said during his Sunday night availability, confirming that the first-half knee injury Patt-Henry suffered was as serious as initially feared.
Lawson’s situation, while also season-ending, comes with a clearer recovery timeline.
“Jaheim is going to be out. He’s going to have to have a tightrope surgery on his ankle,” Swinney said. “But those guys will be back, and Jaheim, for sure, will be ready to go for springtime.”
Lawson went down in the third quarter against Furman and had to be helped off the field, unable to put weight on his right leg. Patt-Henry exited in the first half with a knee issue and never returned.
Swinney didn’t hide the impact of losing two starters in one afternoon.
“Another couple tough losses for us for sure right there,” he said. “But I’m proud of the team, again, rallying back and getting to where we are at this point.”
With both players now sidelined, Clemson faces another depth challenge as it heads into the closing stretch of the regular season. The Tigers will lean on young tight ends and rotational defensive linemen to fill the void — and hope that the damage stops here as they push for bowl positioning.