Swinney will try to redshirt junior Clemson LB

Tony Crumpton by Assoc. Editor -

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spoke with the media following Wednesday's practice and said that he had some 'breaking news' that he wanted to share.

"We're going to try to hold James Skalski and try and steal a year back," he said to the reporters in attendance. "That's a product of our depth. We feel great about our functional depth. If everything holds we're going to hold him and still play him four games."

Swinney thinks this could work out well for his career similarly to tight end Garrett Williams.

"He missed some time in camp," he said. "It's kind of like we did last year with Garrett (Williams). If everything works out we're going to hold him."

Skalski has 51 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks in 194 games over 28 games (two starts) at Clemson.

The new NCAA rule that football players can participate in up to four games and still redshirt will have a massive impact in college football moving forward. How coaches manage their roster will be interesting as the strategy is completely new this season.