At the end of any college football season, injuries are always going to be a factor. That's certainly been the case for the Clemson football program in 2024.
Heading into this weekend's game against South Carolina, the list of Tigers who are banged up is lengthy. Wednesday, head coach Dabo Swinney got into specifics and provided some good news and some bad news.
First, the bad news. Swinney shared that offensive lineman Trent Howard tore his ACL in practice this week thus ending his season.
"I do have some unfortunate news to report, though," he said. "We lost Trent Howard yesterday. He tore his ACL so as I said, man, Tuesday, Wednesday practices are; we felt good where we were Monday, it's unfortunate. Man, my heart breaks for Trent. He is, he's just one of the best kids we've got on this team. So committed. He's a great teammate and obviously, he's a senior and he's saved us two years in a row.
"That kid has really been there when we needed him. And it just breaks my heart for him. But he's a young man with a strong faith and a great family and just got confirmation on that this morning and so he's obviously out."
Howard has spent most of this season as a backup offensive lineman. However, the fifth-year senior has been pressed into action in recent weeks because of Clemson's massive injury woes along the offensive front.
On the second snap in Clemson's 24-20 win at Pitt Howard was inserted into the game when lineman Elyjah Thurmon was hurt on the first play. Thurmon suffered an ankle injury that required surgery ending his season.
Howard then got his fourth career start this past Saturday in a 51-14 win over The Citadel. What's more, he might have been called upon to start against South Carolina this week if injured starter Marcus Tate is unable to play after missing the past three games. Now, an already thin Clemson offensive line is even closer to disaster with Howard no longer an option.
Now for the good news. Swinney said that linebacker and leading tackler Wade Woodaz is progressing and "getting better".
"...Woodaz has gotten better each day," he said. "You know, he was still pretty sore on Monday, you know, the type of injury he's had, he's gotten a little bit better each day so I would say the same thing that, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour he's starting to get a little bit better. But, you know, hopefully, he'll be ready to roll. We need him."
The junior linebacker from Tampa, Florida has missed the last two contests with a severe contusion in his leg. Still, he leads Clemson with 65 tackles and is fourth on the roster with 6.5 stops for loss. Naturally, his presence on the field would be a huge boost against South Carolina.
It sounds like a game-time decision for Woodaz and that will be a situation that Clemson fans will closely monitor as the week progresses. That's because the Tigers will need all hands on deck this week as they try to not only win their annual rivalry game but also earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.