Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced after Saturday’s scrimmage in Death Valley that second-team linebacker Korie Rogers is no longer on the team.
The redshirt freshman told Swinney earlier this week he no longer wanted to play football.
“It was really nothing or anything like that, he just doesn’t want to play,” Swinney said. “He just wants to go to school and get a job and go to work. He has some career goals he is interested in. It is disappointing because this kid has a gift to play the game, but you have to want to do it.
“He decided that he does love it and he just doesn’t want to do it.”
Rogers was playing behind Ben Boulware at weakside linebacker. That spot will not be filled by freshman Jalen Williams, who has been one of the big surprises of fall camp. Martin Aiken has also been moved from defensive end to weakside linebacker to help with the depth.
“That will give us a little bit more of a veteran guy there. He has had a good two days at that position,” Swinney said. “Hopefully, we will get that sured up. But Jalen Williams has had a nice camp and slowly but surely is getting where we need him to be.”
Swinney also said Kendall Joseph can also play the WILL position. He has been a little banged up in camp, but the Clemson coach feels he will be able to help the team at either middle or weakside backer.
Williams and Aiken got a few more reps than expected today at weakside backer because Boulware was kicked out of practice for fighting after the second series.
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Boulware’s absence messed up the chemistry with the first group.
“He was undisciplined and selfish. We can’t have that. He is supposed to be a leader. He has to do a better job of leading,” Venables said.
With Rogers now gone, and Joseph being held out of the scrimmage due to injury, depth at the linebacker positions is of major concern.
“We don’t have many guys,” Venables said. “But I was really proud of the guys that did play and compete. B.J. Goodson, the nickels Travis (Blanks) and Dorian (O’Daniel) did some really good things and I was really pretty please with those two.”
Venables was also pleased with Williams’ performance, and he got to look at J.D. and Judah Davis in action. He also thinks Aiken has a chance to really help them out on the weakside.
“He has the toolset to do it, he just doesn’t know what he is doing,” Venables said. “But he is capable of doing it, though there is a lot to learn there for him. So we will see where he goes from here.”
Venables described the linebacker situation as an emergency, and mentioned recruiting linebackers is going to be a major priority in the next two years.
“I’m looking forward to a year from now, and where we are at,” he said. “We get this really important recruiting class, this one and the next one … it is critical. It is as critical as I’ve been around at bringing in the right guys.”