Injury Situation Goes from Bad to Worse for Clemson Tigers Offensive Line

The injuries for the offensive line continue to mount for the Clemson Tigers.

Oct 19, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers offensive lineman Blake Miller (78) lines up against the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. / Alexander Hicks-Imagn Images

As the Clemson Tigers head into Week 13, their offensive line has become a big problem. 

It was a great win for the Tigers in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Even though the team likely would have enjoyed an easier victory, they were able to escape with the win, and sometimes on the road, that is all that matters. 

The win keeps Clemson alive not only in the ACC, but in the College Football Playoff as well. In the most recent rankings for the CFP, the Tigers came in ranked a respectable 17th. However, their most likely way to get into the CFP is to win the ACC Championship, which they can’t control their fate to reach despite the 7-1 conference record. 

In Week 13, the Tigers figured to have an easier matchup against The Citadel Bulldogs from the Southern Conference, who are 5-6 on the season. The Bulldogs should pose much of a threat to Clemson, but recent news about the status of the offensive line is concerning. 

Recently, Dabo Swinney gave an update on the health of his offensive line, but things aren’t looking good. 

“We have some guys trending in a good direction, but as we sit on Tuesday we are trying to figure out how we are going to practice today,” Swinney said to Will Vandervort of The Clemson Insider. We have actually been pretty lucky, but we have hit a little rough patch with the situation with Tristan, Marcus and Elyjah,” Swinney said. “The worse case scenario happened. Then there is Sadler. He is the one that hurts more than anything because Sadler can play so many positions and is a good player. We will figure it out. There are no excuses. We just have to find a way to make it work.”

Being down multiple offensive lineman is never a good thing, and the training room has filled up with Tigers from the unit. 

While the matchup against The Citadel might not be the game that the injuries up front make an impact, the following week against the South Carolina Gamecocks certainly will. 

Even though Clemson is big favorites, a banged up offensive line could lead to another poor rushing game on the ground and a lot of pressure on quarterback Cade Klubnik. 

With it still being early in the week, hopefully some of the members of the offensive line can get a bit healthier before the game on Saturday.