South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is expected to be the number one overall selection in the draft next season no matter what happens this year, but the only thing that could derail his expected jump to the NFL is an injury, which is why the star is sitting out of spring practice.
According to ESPN.com, Clowney will not play in the spring game this weekend and he could sit out the rest of the practices due to injuries of his neck suffered last week. Gamecocks defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward said that Clowney could be out for the rest of the spring with the injuries, saying that a hit he took last week may have given him a "slight concussion" and he is also dealing with neck and back pain.
South Carolina can't afford to lose Clowney for any period of time during the season, so some rest could be a benefit for the All-American defensive end. This season he will enter the year as a Heisman Candidate and he likely will be the first overall pick come next April. The injuries first cropped up when Clowney sprained his neck after a practice collision with defensive tackle J.T. Surratt.
"South Carolina fans should not be concerned at all," Ward said in a phone interview with ESPN. "He would be cleared to play if it was a regular season game on Saturday. Jadeveon plays with a reckless abandon. He will not pull himself back on the field this year. That's not how he practices or plays. He will be full bore in the fall."
Clowney missed the scrimmage of the team last weekend and said that he should be fine in a few weeks and that he has some pain in his neck and back. He said the coaches will decide when he practices again and Clowney said he will have no issues learning any new plays on defense.
Clowney was a dominant force last season for South Carolina, ranking second in sacks with 13 and tackles for loss in the nation with 23.5. Clowney has already made preparations for next season by taking out a multi-million dollar insurance policy out for an injury and it is likely that he will play all of next season despite some people saying he should sit out and then enter the draft.
"I had some people calling and telling me to sit out," Clowney said earlier this month. "I'm not going to say any names, but it was people I knew, agents, a little bit of everybody. I was like, 'I ain't going to sit out a season.' I couldn't just sit out, and I wouldn't sit out. I wouldn't do that to the guys on this team."
