- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,269,360
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. had a major injury scare during the 2025 season, but he’s a full participant in fall practices. File/Travis Bell/Sideline Carolina
CLEMSON — Bryant Wesco Jr. is different.
He’s different on the football field. The wide receiver caught 31 passes for 537 yards and led the team with six touchdowns last year despite only playing in six full games.
He’s different at home. Wesco owns a collection of samurai swords which hang above his bed — in case of intruders, he said — and owns a cat named LJ that has its own Instagram profile.
He also enters Clemson’s 2026 preseason camp with a different perspective. After a spine injury in 2025 that put his playing career at risk, Wesco is a full participant in fall practices.
"It feels great, but it’s not easy at all. No conditioning can set you up for fall camp,” Wesco said. “I never knew how much I’d miss getting hit. … It's a blessing to get back out here and be able to play the sport again, even though some people don't get to after that injury.”
Wesco landed awkwardly on his head and neck after being tackled on a punt return against SMU last October but went off the field under his own power. Fellow receiver T.J. Moore said he didn’t realize the severity of the injury at first. Wesco was later rushed to the hospital and ruled out to the season.
There was a conversation about whether or not Wesco would play football again, but it didn’t last long.
“It was a thought. Not much thought behind it,” he said. “Doctor asking if that's something I want to do. I was like, ‘Nah I wanna keep playing football.’ So that's just what I pursued to do.”
The road from setting that goal to actually playing again was a long process.
He had surgery in November and couldn’t do any physical activity for a month after. Then he began lifting again with 10-pound weights and slowly increased the weight over time. After six months, he was cleared.
Clemson’s staff kept him limited to individual drills and routes on air during the spring, but he has no more limitations as the Tigers gear up for kickoff against LSU Sept. 5 in Baton Rouge, La.
“I just had to approach it day by day, knowing that each day it's going to get closer to the one I want to get to, and it'll pass eventually,” Wesco said. “That's how I handle everything. It'll pass eventually. You'll get through to the other storm. You just got to go through it the best you can.”
The Tigers play a tough early season schedule with the trip to LSU, a Friday night away tilt against California and a home game against national championship runner-up Miami in the first five weeks of 2026. There’s also expectations for Wesco’s junior year despite missing time — he was named to the All-ACC preseason team.
Whatever storms Clemson and Wesco face as they look to bounce back from a 7-6 record should, eventually, pass too.
Continue reading...
