With the first College Football Playoff rankings out and basketball season already rolling, Clemson’s week is packed with moving parts. The football team is still chasing bowl eligibility, Brad Brownell and Shawn Poppie both opened their home schedules with wins, and the athletic department has a little bit of everything going on right now.
But the biggest Clemson news on Monday came away from the scoreboard.
Armon Mason has medically retired from football, ending his Clemson playing career after a long battle with injuries. The sixth-year defensive end announced the decision on Instagram, writing, “Recently, I had to make one of the harder decisions in my life to medically retire from football,” Mason wrote.
“A lot of ups and downs, specifically the last almost three years with my playing health. I convinced myself I could outrun it, but my body and mind finally caught up to me.”
Dabo Swinney said the injury had already taken a toll before Mason made the call. “Honestly, we didn’t think he’d play again ...
But he wanted to try ... He’s truly an amazing kid.”
Swinney also said Mason’s injury flared up after two games and that he was “in pain every day.”
Mason finished his Clemson career with seven tackles, including two for a loss, across 16 games.
The other major Clemson basketball storyline is still unresolved. Dillon Hunter’s eligibility situation took another hit after he was dismissed from the Wheeler v.
NCAA case in Texas, following his earlier dismissal from the Godfrey v. NCAA case in Georgia.
The Texas case also dropped the other plaintiffs from Georgia and Tennessee, citing a “lack of personal jurisdiction.”
That matters because Hunter, along with the others involved, will need another court case if he wants to secure an injunction and become eligible again. Former Clemson player RJ Godfrey had attached himself to the same Texas case before dismissing himself as well.
After Clemson’s win over Stetson on Monday night, Brownell said “he believes there’s no deadline to file a roster to [the] ACC/NCAA, with or without Hunter on it.” Hunter remains ineligible for now.
On the soccer side, Clemson is about to start its ACC Tournament run. The Tigers, ranked No. 3 nationally, enter the event as the No. 2 seed in the conference because SMU is also in the ACC. Clemson is 12-2-2, while SMU is 12-0-3 and ranked just behind Georgetown.
The Tigers will open tournament play Wednesday night against No. 15 Duke at Historic Riggs Field.
That match is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on Nov.
- If Clemson advances, it would host the winner of No.
7 North Carolina and No. 10 Cal in Sunday’s quarterfinals.
From there, the semifinals and ACC Championship will move to First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
With top-seeded SMU earning a bye to the quarterfinals, Clemson will have to play an extra game to keep its conference title push alive.
In Other News...
Dabo Swinney Just Framed Clemson's Season In A Way Fans Will Hate
Clemsons season has reached the point where the conversation is no longer about playoff positioning, but about preserving a standard that has defined the program for nearly three decades. Dabo Swinney made that clear by putting the emphasis on getting to a sixth win, a benchmark that would keep alive Clemsons run of at least six victories every year since 1998. It is not the kind of framing Tigers fans are used to hearing, but it does reflect where the season stands.
Swinney also acknowledged that this is not a College Football Playoff team, which makes the next stretch feel more about identity than national relevance. Even so, he pointed to consistency as the foundation of program longevity, and that is the thread Clemson is trying to protect now. The Tigers still have a chance to keep the streak intact, but the fact that the conversation has shifted this way says plenty about how the year has unfolded. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Must Rebuild Key Pieces Of Its Offense Before Syracuse
Clemson heads into its game against Syracuse with some real shuffling to do up front, as the Tigers will be without starting center Harris Sewell, running back Gideon Davidson and left guard Elyjah Thurmon because of injuries. The absence of that much experience in the middle of the offense puts a spotlight on how quickly Clemson can patch things together, especially with the line already facing a tough test in conference play.
Dabo Swinney said several younger offensive linemen will be asked to step in, with Gavin Blanchard and Grant Wise expected to start at left guard and center, respectively. The roster moves do not stop there, either, as defensive end Armon Mason has medically retired because of a lingering leg injury, leaving Clemson to keep adjusting on both sides of the ball as it prepares for Syracuse. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons Rivalry Game Suddenly Has Bigger Stakes Than Fans Expected
The first College Football Playoff rankings brought an unexpected twist to the Palmetto Bowl conversation, with South Carolina landing at No. 21 while Clemson was left outside the initial top 25. For a rivalry that already carries plenty of baggage, that kind of split instantly changes the feel of the matchup, especially with both teams still chasing stronger positioning as the season moves on.
South Carolinas recent play has put the Gamecocks in the rankings picture, and their upcoming schedule will help determine whether they can stay there. Clemson, meanwhile, still has time to work its way back into the discussion, which is why the possibility of both teams showing up ranked when they meet has suddenly become part of the buildup. It is still all projection for now, but the stakes around a game that was already big have clearly gotten even bigger. [Read more 🡒]