Injury could keep Marcus Edmond out of Clemson’s starting lineup

Clemson senior cornerback Marcus Edmond is listed on the depth chart as a starter for Saturday’s opener against Kent State.

But the Lower Richland product could be kept out of the starting lineup after battling an injury throughout preseason camp.

Edmond had a groin injury and missed several days of practice.

The Tigers are as deep at cornerback as any position. Trayvon Mullen, Mark Fields or Amir Trapp could get the start in Edmond’s place.

“He missed a lot of camp with that groin. It probably depends right now on what the personnel is as far as whether or not he starts the first play or not,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said.

“He just missed a lot of time, and there are other guys that are equally as talented that have been there every day. That’s just kind of the nature of it. But he’s going to play a ton.”

Edmond has proved to be one of Clemson’s best playmakers in the secondary when healthy.

This past season, the Hopkins native made the game-saving tackle against Louisville and later had the game-winning interception in overtime against N.C. State.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is confident in Edmond’s ability, but he doesn’t want to push him too soon and have the injury bother Edmond throughout the year.

“He missed probably 10, 12, 13 days, so I’m not sure where he is as far as health, but he’ll be cleared to go,” Venables said.

“I think he had a groin issue, and those are always a vertical route away from reaggravating, so hopefully he’ll get back to full speed and stay healthy.”

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 5:42 PM.