Dabo Swinney Provides Major Injury Update on Clemson Tigers' Star Defender

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney spoke out with an update about a star defender's injury.

Aug 31, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) shown on the field pregame prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers hold a 1-1 record heading into this weekend's matchup against NC State. After getting blown out in the season opener, Clemson bounced back strong with a massive 66-20 blowout win over Appalachian State.

Dabo Swinney and company are hoping to ride that momentum into their third game of the season. They need to pick up another convincing win as they try to get back into the conversation as a potential College Football Playoff contender.

Ahead of this week's game, there are a few injury concerns surrounding the Tigers. One of those injury concerns has to do with star defender Peter Woods.

Woods was originally injured in the first half of their win over Appalachian State. He got hit with a chop block below the knees in the second quarter.

Standing in at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Woods is a huge intimidator on the Clemson defensive line. He is a major key to stopping the run for the Tigers, but is also capable of getting after opposing quarterbacks.

In order for their defense to play at its highest level, the Tigers need Woods on the field and healthy.

With that in mind, Swinney spoke out during his weekly press conference about Woods' injury and his status ahead of this week's matchup.

“He’s at practice. He hasn’t missed one yet. He’s been out there every day, grinding, working. He stayed here all weekend (during the open date), as a matter of fact, just to continue to work on his rehab.”

All of that sounds great for Clemson. It sounds like Woods should be ready to go against NC State.

Needless to say, the Tigers dodged a massive bullet. If the injury to Woods would have been anything serious, the defense would have been reeling. They simply cannot afford to lose his production on the field or his leadership.

That being said, Clemson has a huge opportunity this week. If they can come through with a convincing win over the Wolfpack, the Tigers will help many start forgetting about how bad they got beat by the No. 1 team in the nation to begin the year. They have to string some wins together.

Hopefully, Woods will be able to play at close to 100 percent this week and make the kind of defensive impact that Clemson has come to expect from him week in and week out.