Clemson’s defensive leader will be out ‘a few games,’ including against Notre Dame
Clemson will be without its defensive leader and one of its top tacklers for “a few games.”
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney announced Tuesday that linebacker James Skalski had an MRI and will be out for the foreseeable future due to a groin injury.
No. 1 Clemson hosts Boston College this week, before traveling to face No. 4 Notre Dame next week.
“Just hate it for Jamie. He’s a great player. It’s hard to replace what he brings as a fifth-year senior,” Swinney said. “He’s as good as it gets in college football, in my opinion. So that’s tough to lose a guy like that. He’s truly the heart and soul of our defense.”
Skalski, a fifth-year senior, is fourth on Clemson’s team in tackles with 27. He missed last week’s game against Syracuse but Swinney was hopeful he would be able to return against Boston College. That won’t be the case.
“I really felt like Skalski was going to be good to go. He was feeling pretty good. But we ended up, after we tested him last night, went and got a quick MRI and it looks like he’s going to have to have a scope,” Swinney said. “So he’s going to be out for a few games.”
Skalski started all 15 games for the Tigers last season, finishing second on the team in tackles with 105.
With Skalski out, redshirt sophomore linebacker Jake Venables will start at Mike linebacker for the Tigers. Jake Venables is the son of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. He is third on Clemson’s team in tackles with 29.
Jake will now be in charge of making sure everyone is lined up and understands all of the calls pre-snap.
“He did a great job last week, really played well for us,” Swinney said. “Definitely thankful we’ve got a guy like Jake who really understands it and gets it.”
Swinney also announced that fellow starting linebacker Mike Jones Jr. is “day-to-day” and he is unsure if he will be able to play this weekend against Boston College. Starting defensive tackle Tyler Davis and starting cornerback Derion Kendrick also missed last week’s game against Syracuse with injuries. They are all considered day-to-day.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 11:19 AM.
