Clemson linebacker Kobe McCloud has done well thus far in his recovery from the injury that cost him most of his 2024 season, according to head coach Dabo Swinney.

McCloud, now a redshirt junior, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Tigers’ second game of last year vs. App State on Sept. 7.  

“He was out all spring, so he’s been working his way back,” Swinney said on Thursday afternoon prior to the start of camp. “But last year, he was kind of in our top four group [of linebackers], and we had a lot of confidence in Kobe. But unfortunately he got hurt and just kind of had to start over from that standpoint, go get healthy. So, he got out there I think in some green jersey [limited] stuff this spring, but he wasn’t able to get any live stuff.”

Swinney added that the 5-foot-11, 225-pound McCloud “looks great physically.”

“He’s strong,” Swinney said.

McCloud is part of a football family, as his brothers Ray-Ray and Jordan have enjoyed success of their own, with Ray-Ray parlaying his standout Clemson tenure into an NFL career and Jordan recording superlative performances as a quarterback at multiple FBS programs.

“Kobe is a football dude,” Swinney said. “He doesn’t say a whole lot, but he’s a football guy. He understands the game. He’s not as big as some people, but he really knows how to use what he has. He’s a good football player.”

McCloud enters the upcoming season with 17 career tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 113 career snaps over 15 games, including two starts. In his limited action last year, he notched one tackle in 20 defensive snaps across two games.

Swinney says McCloud is a guy the Tigers “need” as part of the linebacking corps in 2025.

“He gives us another veteran guy,” Swinney said. “He’s a guy that we need to step up and come through for us.”