Clemson WR Mike Williams not expected to return this season

Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams not expected to return this season.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says he does not expect injured wide receiver Mike Williams to return this season.

“We can win without Mike Williams,” Swinney said in his press conference on Tuesday. “We don’t have to have Mike Williams here to win. We are 10–0 without him. It’s not like if we don’t get Mike Williams back, we can’t go win a championship. We got some pretty good players.”

Williams, the top-ranked Tigers' No. 1 receiver entering the season, was injured in the first quarter of Tigers’ season opener against Wofford on Sept. 5. Williams collided with the goalpost support and sustained a neck fracture before being carted off the field. 

Swinney said Williams will soon have a soft neck brace removed and has been cleared by team trainers to resume running drills.

• Oklahoma springs into the top 10 in CFB Power Rankings after Week 11

Williams, a junior, has 79 catches for 1,366 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.

- Christopher Chavez