Dabo Swinney provides injury update for Will Shipley, Peter Woods

The Clemson Tigers are going through one of the worst stretches their program has seen in quite some time under Dabo Swinney. However, he did have some good news for fans on his Sunday teleconference.

Swinney said that star running back Will Shipley is in concussion protocol. But they were worried about his neck, but the tests came back normal.

“I don’t ever know how that’s going to go, but just happy that everything checked out well with his neck,” the Tigers head coach noted.

Shipley has carried the Clemson offense the past few seasons, so any time he has to miss is absolutely massive. This year, he’s rushed for 515 yards and three touchdowns on 112 carries. As a receiver, he’s hauled in 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

In 2022, he had by far his best season in Death Valley, racking up over 1,400 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns. He brought home not only first team All-ACC honors that year, but first team All-American honors.

Dabo Swinney is also hopeful that star freshman defensive lineman Peter Woods will be able to suit up against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. “He’s day-to-day,” Swinney said on Sunday. The former five-star prospect has racked up 11 tackles and one tackle for loss in his freshman campaign.

Woods was one of the most highly regarded defensive line prospects in the country coming out of high school and performed at a high level in several different all-star settings–the Under Armour All-American Game and the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

He’s earned plenty of praise this year from On3’s Charles Power and landed on On3’s Midseason True Freshman All-American Team. Coming out of Thompson High School, Woods was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 19 overall prospect in the country, according the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2023 cycle.

Paul Finebaum is not feeling sorry for Dabo Swinney

The Clemson Tigers are 4-4 for the first time since 2010 and Paul Finebaum isn’t feeling sorry for them. On Sunday, the SEC Network analyst weighed in on Clemson’s fall from grace in recent years.

“The saddest story in college football this year is Dabo Swinney and Clemson,” Finebaum said. “There is not a single person outside of that area code who is feeling sorry. This is a coach who has thumbed his nose at the norms of where we are today.

“He has made countless mistakes and it’s now blowing up. I think the real question for Dabo Swinney and Clemson is can you get it back? I mean, these are not easy things to get back. Nebraska has been in the wilderness for 25 years. Other programs have been out there.”

On3’s Grant Grubbs also contributed to this article.