Long before the final whistle went off and Clemson pulled off its thrilling 36-24 win over Florida State on Saturday night, there was a scary scene at Doak Campbell Stadium when starting junior left guard Elyjah Thurmon went down with a serious-looking injury. Thurmon took a hard hit to the side of his head, and he unfortunately wasn't able to get up.
He was put on a stretcher, taken off the field, and then the big-bodied lineman was rushed to a nearby hospital. Thankfully, it looks like the worst-case scenario has been avoided here. While speaking to the media after the win, Swinney provided a new update on his lineman, saying that while Thurmon was going to be kept overnight, the plan is for him to be released at some point on Sunday so that he can head home. Talk about a major relief overall.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on injured OL Elyjah Thurmon: "The signs are positive." He thinks they're gonna keep Thurmon in the hospital overnight but hopefully he'll be released tomorrow. It was mostly concerns about a concussion and head/neck area, Dabo says of Thurmon
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) November 1, 2026
Clemson LG Elyjah Thurmon is expected to be released from the hospital soon after his injury scare
"I know you're probably going to ask about Elyjah - they're probably going to keep him overnight for just observation," Swinney said on Saturday after the win. "I think the signs are all positive right now. I think it's more maybe just a concussion-type thing, and just (looking at) that whole neck area, but he had good strength, good movement, and all that, so we're hopeful they'll let him go tomorrow (Sunday)."
Again, that's a huge relief for the Tigers and Swinney. When Thurmon was loaded onto the stretcher, you could hear a pin drop inside the stadium. On top of that, several Clemson players looked incredibly worried as they saw their teammate being carted off, too.
The major positive there, though, was that before he exited the stadium, Thurmon raised his arm to give everyone a thumbs-up, signaling his injury wasn't as bad as it looked. Swinney's latest update makes things even better as well. The Clemson head coach also gave props to backup lineman Grant Wise and Gavin Blanchard for stepping up big time after Thurmon went down.
Following the victory over the Seminoles, the Tigers are now 5-3 on the year. Next up is a huge showdown with Syracuse, as Fran Brown and Co. are fresh off a strong win over No. 19 SMU. It will be a great opportunity for Clemson to ride some momentum going into Week 10, especially with freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds coming off his best game of the season.
At this point, it's probably safe to assume that Thurmon is not going to be able to suit up for this ACC clash, as he's going to need some extra time to recover. However, the fact that he avoided an incredibly serious injury feels like another win on its own for the Tigers.
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