Less than 10% of high school football prospects get to play college football at any level, and even fewer in an NCAA program. Considering the rigor it takes to arrive at the college football scene, it is always sad to see players quit their dreams for reasons they can barely help. For Clemson Tigers athlete Watson Young, injuries have cost him a place on Dabo Swinney’s roster.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Clemson Tigers’ offensive lineman Watson Young is no longer on the program’s roster on its official website. Per The State, a team spokesman reported that he decided to step away from Dabo Swinney’s team after losing his place due to an injury battle.

The Clemson native joined the program as a three-star prospect in the class of 2024. However, upon arriving on the collegiate scene, he began to struggle with injuries that had never surfaced during his high school career. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder suffered a season-ending knee injury even before his freshman season began. He picked up the injury during fall camp and had to wait until the 2025 season for his debut.

Unfortunately, the 2025 season came and went without Young playing a single game. He has now been removed from the team’s roster ahead of the 2026 season. Young had a chance to enter the 2026 season as a redshirt sophomore with three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Young played varsity football at Daniel High School, where he was one of the prominent players. With him, the school won three state championships and lost just one game in 51 games, having a 51-1 record. He was a 2023 South Carolina Mr. Football finalist and won several honors during the high school season.

After arriving at Clemson, he was ready to bring his high school excellence to college, but injuries limited him. He was pursuing a sociology degree from the university. Regardless, he leaves the team as the first fourth-generation Clemson football player on record.

His father, Kyle Young, a Clemson Athletic Hall of Famer who now works as an executive senior associate athletic director for Clemson Athletics, played as a center from 1998 to 2001 and was a two-time All-American. His uncle, Will Young, was an offensive lineman from 1992 to 1995 and was an All-ACC selection in 1995.

Dabo Swinney’s 2026 roster

Dabo Swinney has a stacked roster, and seeing how filled the offensive lineman room was must have discouraged Young from giving football another chance. Swinney has 105 players and 18 offensive linemen.

Of the 18, the likely offensive line starters are left tackle Brayden Jacobs, left guard Elyjah Thurmon, center Harris Sewell, right guard Collin Sadler, and right tackle Easton Ware, according to Greenville News. That is just five out of 18 players.

And this is despite losing four offensive line starters from last season: right tackle Blake Miller, left tackle Tristan Leigh, center Ryan Linthicum, and guard Walker Parks. Coming from a family of Tigers, Young would join his other family members and support the team from the stands in 2026.