Tag: troy stellato

Dabo Swinney says transfer wide receiver ‘hasn’t burned a bridge’ with Clemson

Swinney still has a lot of love for this now former Clemson wide receiver.

Wide receiver Troy Stellato is moving on from Clemson, with the redshirt junior set to enter the transfer portal when it opens next week. Stellato, who has two years of eligibility left, will not join the team for Saturday’s ACC Championship Game against SMU.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney commented on Stellato’s decision Wednesday. TheTigers head coach having nothing but love for the now former Tiger.

“He just wants a bigger role,” Swinney said. “He’s a great kid. Y’all know I love the ‘Italian Stallion.’ He’s one of my favorite dudes. He loves football. He just wants to be the one or two, and that’s just not where he is. He could be, and he has been here or there. But with the guys that we have on the roster and the guys coming back, he just wants a little bigger role. It’s not that big a deal.”

Injuries hampered the early part of Stellato’s career, but he became a regular contributor over the past two seasons, starting six games in 2023 and five more this year. His 2024 campaign was cut short following an eight-snap performance against Pitt on November 16, as a thumb injury ultimately required surgery and ended his season.

Stellato’s decision comes as he seeks a bigger role moving forward. This season, he tallied 25 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a career-best seven receptions and 74 yards against Virginia. While Stellato showed promise in Clemson’s offense, he’ll now look for opportunities elsewhere.

Clemson wide receiver announces plans to enter the transfer portal

Clemson is losing a talented wide receiver to the transfer portal.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football team will head to the ACC Championship game without a veteran wide receiver.

Redshirt junior wide receiver Troy Stellato will be entering the transfer portal, ending his time with the Tigers. According to reports from multiple sources, the young wide receiver was not happy with his role on the team.

Stellato’s 2024 campaign was cut short after he played just eight snaps against Pitt due to a thumb injury that required surgery. Head coach Dabo Swinney announced afterward that Stellato would miss the remainder of the season.

Stellato joined Clemson as a highly-touted recruit in the 2021 class but played in only two games his first season and missed all of 2022 due to an ACL injury. He broke out in 2023, tallying 38 receptions for 321 yards and a touchdown. This season, he added 25 catches for 264 yards and another score, with career highs of seven receptions and 72 yards in the win over Virginia.

The speedy receiver will enter the portal next week with two years of eligibility remaining.

Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato out for the remainder of the season

Clemson loses a wide receiver for the rest of the season.

Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense will be down a pass catcher as one Tigers season has ended early.

Head coach Dabo Swinney shared during his weekly press conference on Tuesday that redshirt junior Troy Stellato will miss the rest of the season due to a thumb injury. According to Swinney, Stellato had been playing through the injury for some time.

“He tore his thumb, got to have surgery on it Thursday, so he’s going to be done. Tough break there. He’s been battling for a couple of weeks. He’s been trying but can’t play like he wants to play.”

Stellato, who has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his Clemson career, has been a key contributor this season, recording 25 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown. Despite his setbacks, Swinney praised the receiver’s perseverance. “He’s been battling a lot of injuries but kept getting up, just kept getting up,” Swinney said. “I hate it for him, but it’s just another part of his story.”

Other Tigers will have to step up without the talented wide receiver.

Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato needs ‘a little cleanup surgery’

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave an injury update on wide receiver Troy Stellato.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media after Wednesday’s practice and updated them on wide receiver Troy Stellato’s injury status.

Since joining the Tigers, Stellato has dealt with many different injuries. The most recent injury came during practice on Monday when Stellato reportedly appeared to tweak something in his right leg. According to Swinney, Stellato likely won’t finish spring ball with the injuries as he will require a ‘cleanup surgery’ at some point.

“Troy’s always banged up. Always,” Swinney said. “I’ve never seen him when something’s not hurting on him. He’s got a hurt thumb or finger or something, but he battles through. He’s a tough kid.

He’s actually a guy that probably will not finish spring,” Swinney said. “He needs a little cleanup surgery. But we made the decision that he needed to really get all the spring he could get before we did that. We don’t want him to miss any of the summer, so that’s why we didn’t do it before the spring. Because if you know anything about Troy, he hasn’t really had a spring. He hasn’t had much of a spring or a fall camp since he’s been here. So, it’s really important for him. It’s not something he can’t play with, but we need to get him cleaned up so he can be really 100 percent.”

Stellato has proven to be a viable deep threat in the Tigers’ offense when healthy. He heads into the 2024 season with 30 catches for 336 yards and a touchdown in 603 snaps over 14 games (six starts).

Clemson makes significant changes to depth chart for Gator Bowl

Clemson will have several new starters when it plays Kentucky in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29.

Clemson released its unofficial depth chart on Friday ahead of the Gator Bowl, and there are significant changes compared to when the Tigers last played a game.

One of the most noteworthy changes to the depth chart is in the secondary. With Andrew Mukuba transferring to Texas,  R.J. Mickens and Jalyn Phillips are now listed as the starting strong safety and free safety spots, respectively. As for the starting cornerbacks, Clemson will roll out with two true freshmen starting on the outside, with Avieon Terrell and Shelton Lewis getting the nod.

There are also significant changes to the front seven, as Kobe McCloud and Wade Woodaz are listed as potential starters at middle linebacker in light of Jeremiah Trotter Jr. declaring for the NFL draft earlier this month.

Offensively, Troy Stellato and Adam Randall are listed as the starting wide receivers on the perimeter with Beaux Collins’ departure to Notre Dame.

Clemson will play Kentucky in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29 at noon.

Here is the Tigers’ full depth chart:

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Clemson statistical leaders through eight games

Who scares you most on the Tigers?

This hasn’t been the season Clemson or any outsiders envisioned. While not everyone was anticipating another national championship, it’s doubtful anyone expected that by this point, the Tigers wouldn’t even been receiving votes in polls. A bowl isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but if November is a very bad month for the Tigers, it’s probable they’ll be watching bowl season at home. Talk about dropping off.

All of that said, there still is some talent on this Tigers team, especially on defense. If anything, these players are remnants of a time in the recent past when the Tigers were feared. Many might have picked Notre Dame to lose Saturday’s game at the start of the season, but that no longer is a certainty. This is why you play the games though: You never know what can happen.

Here are the Tigers most likely to have an impact when they face the Irish:

Troy Stellato: ‘We have no business being 4-4, and it’s not okay’

Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato is not okay with how this season has gone.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program are having their worst season with Swinney at the helm in years, and it has been a rough time for not only the Tigers fans but the players as well.

Clemson has won at least ten games in their last eleven seasons, an amazing run for the Tigers. That streak ended Saturday, as there is now no chance this team can win double-digit games. Sitting at 4-4, this is a place Clemson hasn’t been in a while. Wide receiver Troy Stellato spoke to the media after the game and was very honest about what’s going on and how it feels. 

“We have no business being 4-4, and it’s not okay. It’s not our standard, and it’s not my standard. So, it’s frustrating. It really is because we believe we should win every game. We’re three plays away man; it’s crazy. It’s crazy,” Stellato said as he shook his head.

“I feel like just everything is going against us this year a little bit. We’re a 4-4 football team, but we’re not that. We aren’t that. We’re just like literally a couple plays away every game. It’s frustrating because we all put in so much hard work…every week, these freak plays happen,” Stellato said.

At this point in the season, it is no longer a worry about ten wins or an ACC Championship… it is simply about qualifying for a bowl game. The Tigers need two more wins over their final four games to qualify. 

It will be an interesting final stretch of the season for this team.

Clemson takes a 7-0 lead over Syracuse behind an electric Cade Klubnik touchdown pass

Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense took advantage of an opportunity the defense supplied.

Taking advantage of a turnover, Cade Klubnik worked magic in the red zone to give Clemson an early 7-0 lead.

The Tiger’s defense took the field first and set the Clemson offense up in a great position. Justin Mascoll forced a fumble with a monster hit, giving the Tigers the ball on their own 45.

Klubnik and the offense later went 7 plays for 55 yards, with a nice mix of running and passing the ball. On 3rd and 7 on the Syracuse 14, Klubnik escaped the pocket, making a Syracuse defender miss and delivering a strike to wide receiver Troy Stellato for the touchdown.

It was an excellent start for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

Garrett Riley says this Clemson wide receiver is ‘ certainly going to help us this year’

Riley had great things to say about this Clemson wide receiver who is progressing nicely.

Garrett Riley is heading into his fourth game as Clemson’s offensive coordinator, and it is a big one against No.4 Florida State in Death Valley. 

We’ve seen a lot of promise out of a Riley-led offense, but the Tigers still have work to do as they continue to refine their game. One of the positions that will need to continue to work hard to improve is the Clemson wide receiver room, which needs to do everything in their power to help starting quarterback Cade Klubnik produce at a high level. 

One of the wide receivers Riley has been keeping his eye on is Troy Stellato. The young wide receiver has six catches for 63 yards through three games and is coming along well. 

“He’s coming on. He’s made some plays,” Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley said Monday. “When it comes his way, he’s going to catch it. He’s got really, really strong, natural hands.”

Injuries have been a significant part of Stellato’s Clemson career. He missed the entire 2022 season with an ACL injury, and while having a strong summer, Stellato dealt with a hamstring injury that resulted in him missing most of camp and the Duke opener.

Now healthy, Stellato has shown signs of his tremendous ceiling and play-making ability.

“I just know for him, it’s probably been just a confidence thing of saying I can be healthy,” Riley said. “I mean, he’s a confident kid anyway. He’s doing a really nice job for us. He keeps coming on. He’s certainly going to help us this year, there’s no question. He needs to.”

With high praise from one of the best offensive coordinators in college football, we look forward to what’s next for Stellato.

Dabo Swinney gives an injury update on wide receiver Troy Stellato

Dabo Swinney gave an injury update on Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato.

Clemson wide receiver Troy Stellato has an opportunity to contribute in this Tigers’ offense in 2023 and is now healthy and ready to go.

While he isn’t a starter on the depth chart, the No.2 field-side receiver is a talented receiver. Even though he missed most of the offseason, Swinney spoke on Stellato during Thursday’s press conference, saying he looks good and ready.

“He missed all of camp basically, but he is ready to roll,” Swinney said. “He has actually practiced for the last week. He looks good.”

“I think it was going well, and then one day he was running a deep post route in skill-and-drills and pulled his hamstring, which set him back,” the Clemson head coach said. “He was working his way back into full progression after coming off the ACL tear last year. He has looked really good for a guy who has not played in the last two years and a guy who has missed all of camp; he has flashed for sure. He can help us if he can just stay healthy.”

Health is the key here because Clemson needs the help at wide receiver. We know there is talent in the Tigers’ wider receiver room, with Antonio Williams and Beuax Collins leading the group. Even so, someone has to step up for the Clemson offense to achieve their goals. 

Williams and Collins will be the go-to targets alongside tight end Jake Briningstool, but Stellato has an opportunity to be a guy who can go out there and give the Tigers’ offense meaningful reps. This team has College Football Playoff aspirations, and to be a successful team, they’ll need to have production outside of these three. 

A healthy Stellato has a big opportunity in 2023.