Clemson Tigers injury report: Key starters out vs. Troy ahead of ACC opener

Clemson Tigers injury report: Key starters out vs. Troy ahead of ACC opener

Key absences as Clemson hosts Troy at Memorial Stadium

A top-10 team heading into conference play never wants this many medical updates. The Clemson Tigers, ranked No. 8, kick off against Troy at 3:30 p.m. inside Memorial Stadium without a handful of starters and key contributors. The headline: wide receiver Antonio Williams and safety Khalil Barnes are both out with hamstring injuries, and starting left tackle Tristan Leigh is not expected to play. Head coach Dabo Swinney labeled Barnes day-to-day earlier in the week, but the plan is to have both he and Williams trending toward next week’s trip to Georgia Tech. For today, depth across the secondary and offensive line moves to the front row.

Who’s out, who steps up, and what it means

Williams’ absence stings because he’s a security blanket in the passing game. He left last week’s loss to LSU with a left hamstring strain and did not warm up today. The staff has signaled they’d rather buy him another week than risk a setback, a common move with soft-tissue injuries that don’t respond well to rushing. Without him, Clemson likely leans on multiple receivers to recreate his production with quick-game throws, motions to free releases, and a heavier dose of backs in the passing plan to keep the chains moving.

Hamstrings are tricky. Even when a player feels “close,” the last 10 percent of recovery is where re-injuries happen, especially for wideouts who live on stop-start bursts. Expect the call sheet to include more condensed formations and rub concepts to generate separation for the younger targets filling in.

On the other side of the ball, Barnes remains out as he works back from a hamstring issue dating to fall camp and aggravated in the second quarter of Clemson’s first game of 2025. The staff called him day-to-day, which fits the usual arc: increase running volume midweek, test acceleration late week, then re-check soreness. No green light today. That puts the spotlight on safeties Ronan Hanafin, Ricardo Jones, and Kylon Griffin, who will share the communication load and make the calls on the back end.

For those safeties, the job is less about splash plays and more about being exactly right. Troy will test eye discipline with play-action and layered routes. The simplest way to stress a patched-up secondary is to run the ball, draw the safeties down, then throw behind them. Clean leverage, sure tackling, and organized pre-snap movement are the antidote.

Up front, the offensive line shuffles again. Leigh not being expected to play moves sophomore Elyjah Thurmon into the left tackle role, the same spot he covered when Leigh missed time last season. Continuity matters most on the edges—left tackle handles blindside speed, sees the most games and twists, and often handles the opponent’s best rusher. Expect Clemson to help Thurmon early with chips from tight ends and backs, sprint-out throws to change launch points, and a steady run diet to keep the pass rush honest.

The potential stabilizer is veteran tackle Walker Parks, who was “available” last week but never saw the field. He’s off the injury list today. Even limited snaps from Parks can smooth out protections, especially on long-yardage downs where one missed assignment flips the drive. The staff can mix him situationally—third downs, two-minute, or red zone—if that’s the plan for ramping him up.

What does all of this mean for today’s matchup with Troy? Expect a pragmatic script. Clemson doesn’t need to be flashy; it needs to be efficient. That usually looks like a higher run rate on early downs, quick outs and slants to set rhythm, and an occasional deep shot only when protections hold. If the Tigers win on first down, they protect their tackles and simplify the day for a secondary missing Barnes.

Troy is a disciplined Sun Belt program that tends to play sound defense. They’ll try to compress the box and see if Clemson’s reshuffled line can create movement. The counter is tempo, formation variety, and forcing defensive substitutions. If Clemson sustains drives, the cumulative effect—fatigue on pass rushers and looser zones—shows up late in the third quarter.

On defense, Clemson’s front seven can make life easier on the back end. Early down tackles for loss put Troy behind schedule and take the shot menu off the table. When the ball is in the air, the safeties stepping in today have one job above all: keep the roof on the coverage. Field position will matter more than usual; a short field is an invitation for trick plays and vertical throws.

This game also sits in a delicate spot on the calendar. Georgia Tech is next, on the road, and it’s the first ACC test of the year. That creates the classic trap: don’t put future plans at risk by chasing one more series from a player who isn’t 100 percent. Expect the staff to manage reps and, if the score allows, shorten the afternoon for anyone coming off an injury.

Special teams could feel the ripple effects too. If Williams usually handles return work, the staff may go conservative—fair catches, safer alignments—to avoid extra high-speed hamstring demands for receivers stepping into bigger offensive roles. Hidden yards are great, but not at the expense of a key contributor’s availability next week.

Here’s the bottom line for today’s roster math: the plan is built around clean execution, not hero ball. The receivers need to win at the line without a full-speed Williams. The tackles must keep the launch point clean long enough for timing routes to hit. The safeties have to communicate, tackle, and deny explosives. Do those three things, and Clemson limits the stress points created by the absences.

Zooming out, there’s a silver lining to an afternoon like this: snaps for younger players in real situations. That can pay off in October when depth is no longer optional. If Thurmon settles in at left tackle, if the safety trio handles their assignments, and if Parks gets through a healthy workload, Clemson not only gets through a tricky nonconference date but also beefs up its contingency plans for ACC play.

For now, the message is simple: stay on schedule, protect the quarterback, and don’t give the Trojans cheap yards. The rest of the season gets here fast, starting next weekend in Atlanta.

Write a comment

*

*

*

© 2025. All rights reserved.