Clemson defensive end Richard Yeargin will miss the entirety of the 2017 season after suffering a neck injury in a car accident over the weekend.

Dabo Swinney confirmed the news Monday, comparing Yeargin's injury to the one suffered by former Clemson receiver Mike Williams when he hit a goalpost after a touchdown in Week 1 of the 2015 season. Williams missed the rest of that year but returned in 2016 to become one of the nation's most prolific receivers.

"The good news is that [Yeargin] will be fine long term," Swinney said in a statement released by the school. "But he will miss the season as he recovers."

Yeargin, a four-star recruit out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2014, was one of Clemson's top backups at defensive end last season, racking up 14 tackles, including four for a loss, in 12 games for the national champions.

Yeargin was listed as a second-string defensive end on the post-spring depth chart, with Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell considered the likely starters, and former ESPN 300 recruits Xavier Kelly and Jordan Williams in line for playing time. Junior Christian Wilkins, who is listed as a defensive tackle, largely played on the edge last season after an injury to Bryant, and he could make a similar transition as needed in Yeargin's absence in 2017.