Clemson starting defensive end Austin Bryant broke his right foot and will miss the season opener against Auburn, coach Dabo Swinney told reporters after practice Tuesday.
Bryant had a screw inserted into his foot and is expected to miss a month. Swinney said he is hopeful Bryant will be back to play Georgia Tech on Sept. 22. With that timetable, Bryant would also miss games again Troy and South Carolina State.
"It was a freak accident at practice on Monday night," Swinney said. "He had a simple procedure today. It is the same injury he had in high school, but on the other foot. The positive is that he will be back."
The Tigers have to replace their dominant defensive ends from a year ago, Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, with relatively inexperienced players. Bryant was penciled in to take over for Lawson. He showed promise as a true freshman last year, especially when he had to replace an injured Lawson in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma.
"We just hate to lose [Bryant] because, even though he is a sophomore, he was our most experienced defensive end," Swinney said.
Clelin Ferrell and Richard Yeargin will now be expected to lead the way at defensive end until Bryant gets healthy. Another option is for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to slide over and play end as well. Wilkins cross-trained at both positions in the spring, but prefers to stay at tackle.
In an interview earlier this fall, defensive coordinator Brent Venables said of his defensive ends as a whole: "There's a lot we don't know there yet. Talent is one thing, but skill development is another. ... I love the guys we're working with, but just because he's talented doesn't mean he's the right player."