Clemson loses ‘heart and soul’ of defense James Skalski to surgery

Clemson will be without one of their defensive leaders for a few weeks as James Skalski will undergo surgery.

After missing the Syracuse win with what Dabo Swinney thought would be a minor injury, Clemson starting middle linebacker James Skalski will be out a few more games after undergoing an MRI that determined he’ll need surgery.

“That’s a pretty big loss for us,” Swinney said. “He’s going to miss a few games, unfortunately. We’ll have to see how it all goes and how quickly responds, but he’s a great football player. … He’s truly the heart and soul of our defense.”

“That’s a pretty big loss for us,” Swinney said. “He’s going to miss a few games, unfortunately. We’ll have to see how it all goes and how quickly responds, but he’s a great football player. … He’s truly the heart and soul of our defense.”

Clemson’s James Skalski could miss the Notre Dame game

Skalski’s groin injury is the latest for a Clemson defense that has been without end Justin Foster all season, Xavier Thomas returned two weeks after battling strep throat and COVID in the offseason but has been limited and Tyler Davis is expected to be out this weekend.

Derion Kendrick is expected to return vs. Boston College, however, after missing the Syracuse game with a knee injury.

The biggest game on the Clemson football schedule is the Nov. 7 date at Notre Dame. It’s unclear if Skalski will be healthy enough to return for the game. Swinney’s comments don’t sound overly optimistic he’ll be back by then, so it’s more likely than not to expect Skalski to still be recovering and for Jake Venables to continue manning the middle linebacker spot.

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