Clemson DE Xavier Kelly injured in moped accident
Clemson’s depth at defensive end has gotten a bit thinner this week — at least for the time being.
A few days after Dabo Swinney confirmed that starting defensive end Austin Bryant would miss a few games after undergoing foot surgery, freshman end Xavier Kelly was injured Wednesday night in a moped accident.
Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Kelly’s injuries were minor, but things could have been much worse.
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“He wiped out, somebody ran right into him. We’re lucky he’s alive,” Venables said per The State. “He got flipped, and got some scrapes and abrasions and banged his head, some stitches, I think, on his toe. He’s just very lucky very fortunate.”
Venables, who said Kelly was not wearing a helmet, doesn’t expect the freshman to miss much time but wasn’t immediately sure what his status would be for the Sept. 3 season opener at Auburn. Kelly, a four-star recruit from Wichita, Kansas, is expected to contribute at some point this season, though Venables said a redshirt is not out of the question.
Of more concern to the Tigers is the injury to Bryant, who suffered a foot fracture Monday during practice. The sophomore will miss at least three games with eyes on the Sept. 22 game at Georgia Tech for a potential return. Bryant was behind stars Kevin Dodd and Shaq Lawson (both now in the NFL) in 2015, but was still a big part of the rotation. He finished the season with 23 tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 tackles for loss and was atop the depth chart entering preseason camp.
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Swinney said earlier in the week that defensive tackle Christian Wilkins could see more time on the edge. Richard Yeargin and Jabril Robinson are probably in line for increased snaps as well.
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
