By Will Vandervort.

Travis Blanks’ 2014 season could be over before it even starts.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told the media following Friday’s practice that the defensive back approached him earlier this week and requested to be redshirted. Blanks was expected to contend for the starting spot at the nickel position for the Tigers this fall, but supposedly the junior has not fully healed after tearing his ACL against The Citadel in Game 11 last season.

Swinney, who says Blanks has been practicing, said he and the staff will take the next few weeks to decide if they will indeed redshirt the Tallahassee, Fla., native.

In talking with Swinney, Blanks feels like he does not deserve to play this year because the injury caused him to miss all of the spring, parts of the summer and he has been battling knee issues throughout fall camp. Blanks feels like the other guys deserve to play before he does because they have put in the time and the work to this point.

“This is just his mentality. This is the kind of kid he is. He is just a giver,” Swinney said. “In his mind he is really struggling because he does not feel like he has paid the price. He was not able to go through the spring and he was not able to really grind like other guys this summer and, in his mind, that bothers him.

“He is not quite one hundred percent, and back to being Travis like he wants.”

Swinney said the two had a good talk so he agreed that the staff will try and hold him initially and reevaluate the situation in six weeks or so.

The good news for Clemson is it can afford to think about redshirting Blanks. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has three ready candidates already in place for the nickel/strongside backer position. T.J. Burrell, Korrin Wiggins and Dorian O’Daniel can feel in nicely at that position.

Wiggins, in particular, played in all 12 games last season and has had a very good camp thus far.

“We have three really, really good players at that position,” Swinney said. “Travis knows that and feels good about that so he sees an opportunity to maybe redshirt, possibly. That’s again, one hundred percent coming from him and that is not anything we even thought about. We need him. We were getting him ready to play, but he is just a kid that thinks that way.”

Blanks has been a full-time starter in each of the last two seasons. He has started 18 of the 24 games he has played in. He started as the Tigers’ nickel back as a freshman, where he earned freshman All-American honors after recording 51 tackles and an interception. He also had seven quarterback pressures.

Last season, Blanks started 10 games at free safety where he recorded 86 tackles and had nine passes broken up before getting hurt.

Whether or not Blanks is redshirted will depend on how healthy the Tigers are after the first four weeks of the season.

“He could play. He could definitely play against Georgia, but he is just not quite where those other guys are right now,” Swinney said. “If it works out, he wants to take the year to pay the price, mentally and physically and get back to where he wants to be and maximize the opportunity he has here. I’m all for that. I have no problem with that.

“I would love to have him here ten years. I would sign that contract right now. If I could have him here ten years, I’ll take it.”

It sounds like Swinney is going to at least have Mr. Blanks for one more year.