Clemson offensive lineman Mason Trotter to miss most of 2022 season

Before Clemson started spring practice on Wednesday, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media and revealed where things stand with his team.

During his pre-practice press conference, Swinney announced that offense lineman Mason Trotter will miss most of the 2022 season. Swinney did not elaborate on the details of what led to Trotter’s absence out of respect for Trotter.

This is another key loss for a Clemson offensive line group that was already short-handed coming into the spring. Just two weeks ago, it was revealed that Hunter Rayburn — who played at guard and center for the Tigers last season — would no longer be able to continue his football career due to neck issues.

Like Rayburn, Trotter was an important contributor for Clemson in their 2021 campaign. Trotter started all seven of the games that he played in last season, totaling 450 total snaps in those appearances.

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Trotter did miss the first five games of last season due to a hand injury. The redshirt junior had at least 60 snaps in six of the seven games he played in this past fall.

Even before the Rayburn and Trotter news surfaced over the past couple of weeks, the Tigers were looking for reinforcements in the trenches. Clemson offered and made a strong push for Virginia offensive lineman transfer Victor Oluwatimi, who ended up choosing Michigan.

As for who will step up this spring in the wake of Trotter’s absence, that remains to be seen.

Trent Howard ended last season as the backup center, so he’s a candidate to fill in at the position. They also have the option to move one of their guards, such as Will Putnam, over to center as well.