There is something about Clemson suffering a major injury on the next to last day of preseason camp. Two years ago, the Tigers lost then projected starting running back Zac Brooks to a broken foot during the last two-a-days of camp.

On Monday night, during Clemson’s second practice of the day, the Tigers lost defensive end Austin Bryant after he suffered a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. But unlike Brooks’ injury, which was a season-ending one, Bryant isn’t as serious. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says Bryant could be back in time for Clemson’s game against Georgia Tech on Sept. 22.

Swinney said Bryant had a screw put into the bottom part of his toe on Tuesday morning. He had a similar procedure done to his left foot back in high school in Pavo, Georgia. Bryant played in 13 games last year and played 219 snaps. He had 35 tackles, including two tackles for loss.

He had his best game against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff game in the Orange Bowl when he had eight tackles in 63 plays as a substitute for an injured Shaq Lawson.

“Hopefully, we will have him back sooner than later,” Swinney said. “We are hoping for the Georgia Tech game and he will be ready to roll, but we will see.

“It is a pretty simple procedure as far as what they do. As I said, he actually had the same exact thing on the left foot in high school and they put a screw in that foot. The screw stays with you for life so now he has two screws in the same spot on both feet.”

With Bryant out for the next month, it will be the next man up for the Tigers. That man could be Christian Wilkins, who Clemson cross trained in the spring at defensive end for this very reason.

“We will look at all of those options. I think that’s always been a factor for us. That’s why we did it in the spring. We really needed to have that plan ready,” Swinney said. “We needed to get some information to find, and we found out. He demonstrated this spring that he could do everything we needed him to do.

“The good news, we have that flexibility with the guys we have inside.”

On the preseason depth chart Chris Register was listed as Bryant’s back up, but Richard Yeargin could also be moved over to Bryant’s side, and then of course there is Wilkins who played some at defensive end during Tuesday’s practice.

“I had to get some reps out there today and got some work in as we try to create a little more depth out there and just get comfortable with me out that wide and getting more reps in and everything, and just getting used to playing outside.”

If Wilkins is able to pick up where he left off in the spring at defensive end, the sophomore could be the Tigers’ starter on Sept. 3 when they play at Auburn down on the Plains in Alabama.

“It’s the next man-up mentality. We love Austin. It is unfortunate he had to have an injury. That’s one of my best friends on the team so I hate to see him go down,” Wilkins said. “I really wanted to see him step into a starting role and I’m sure when he comes back he will be better than ever, but its unfortunate right now that he was injured and he will not get to start the season with us.”

Wilkins says Bryant is in good spirits and he knows he will be able to come back so he is going to do what he can now to get the other defensive ends ready for the season. He wants to step up more as a leader and doesn’t want this injury to tear him down.

Wilkins says he will just try to help where he can, whether that means starting at defensive end or defensive tackle against Auburn.

“I’m going to attack it hard and just try to gain knowledge and get used to playing outside,” Wilkins said. “It is a little different than playing inside. You have a lot more responsibilities and you have to find ways to beat guys.

“Really, I’m just going to get in the film room, study as hard as I can and get with the other defensive ends and Coach (Marion) Hobby and just pick up everything I can to make sure I do an efficient job out there and with that prepare myself to play inside.”