By Will Vandervort.
Dabo Swinney let it be known following Thursday’s practice that D.J. Howard will be 16th-ranked Clemson’s starting running back when the Tigers travel to No. 12 Georgia on Aug. 30.
But for Howard, it’s bitter-sweet news. Though he feels like he has earned the right to be Clemson’s starter, he wished he won the job under better circumstances. On Wednesday, Swinney announced Zac Brooks, who was sharing first-team reps with Howard and was in a neck-and-neck battle for the starting job, was lost for the season with a foot injury.
Brooks tore a ligament in his right foot in Monday’s practice when he came down on defensive end Vic Beasley’s foot and turned his foot the wrong way.
“It was a freak accident,” Swinney said.
Howard said it was a tough loss for the guys in the running back room.
“We can’t do anything, but wrap our arms around him and let him know he is still a part of us and that we want him to come along on the journey,” the senior said. “We are still going to need him. We won’t have him physically, but we need his positive energy.”
As always, Swinney looked for the silver lining in it all and he found some comfort in the fact that Brooks still has his redshirt season since he played as a true freshman in 2012.
“Obviously, it’s a huge disappointment for him,” the Clemson coach said. “He was one of those guys that you could just see was ready to have a great year. You could just see it. He had an excellent camp, a great summer and you just hate it for him.
“There is a positive in everything and the positive is that he has not been redshirted. I wish we could have redshirted him from the get go, but we had to have him ready so we will get that year back. It is a real positive to know I have a guy like Zac Brooks—as a player and as a person—around here for a couple of more years.”
Brooks’ injury is similar to the one former running back Andre Ellington suffered in 2010 when he missed the last part of the season. However, Swinney said Brooks’ injury is not as severe as Ellington’s was and the junior will be available for spring practice in 2015.
“It is just a little tear, but we still have to fix it,” Swinney said.
This is the second straight year Brooks had his year cut short because of injury. Last year an injured shoulder caused him to miss four games, including the last two against South Carolina and Ohio State. He had surgery following the South Carolina game to fix the shoulder.
He was also hampered with an ankle injury in 2012 that caused him to miss three games that year.
“I think all of our running backs are great,” center Ryan Norton said. “It doesn’t matter who is in there, I feel like they can get the job done. They switch them in and out all the time and every single one of them are awesome.”
Due to Brooks’ injury, freshman running back Adam Choice will play against Georgia. Swinney said they will need the freshman in Athens.
“He will play and we have to get him ready. We will go with the green light on him,” Swinney said. “We only have three backs. So we are sitting there with D.J., C.J. (Davidson) and (Wayne) Gallman, who we really like, but it is hard to make it through a season with three backs.”
Norton says he likes what he has seen from Choice.
“He is a very hard runner,” the junior said. “He has low pads and hits holes hard. I think he is going to be a phenomenal back here in the future.”