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Clemson WR Rodgers ahead of schedule in ACL rehab

Field Level Media

July 16, 2019 at 6:59 pm.

Jan 7, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Amari Rodgers (3) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second quarter during the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship game at Levi's Stadium. Photo Credit: Mark Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 7, 2019; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Amari Rodgers (3) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second quarter during the 2019 College Football Playoff Championship game at Levi’s Stadium. Photo Credit: Mark Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson slot receiver Amari Rodgers, who suffered a torn ACL in late March, is ahead of schedule in his rehab and could return in September, coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday.

Rodgers was the second-leading pass-catcher last season for the national champion Tigers.

Rodgers has resumed running and will be allowed to start cutting next week, according to Swinney. Co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Jeff Scott said at Clemson’s media day that Rodgers is “ahead, really, of every benchmark that they have for him.”

“He’s doing well,” Scott said in The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C.

“My experience with guys, regardless of position, that have kind of had to battle through an ACL is a lot of it has to do with the individual, their mental toughness, their mental approach, the way that they attack it. And the way that he has attacked it has not surprised me one bit.”

Rodgers (5-10, 210) caught 55 passes for 575 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He was also the team’s primary punt returner, averaging 7.7 yards on 39 attempts.

“It’s not something where we’re going to rush him back and put him back out there before he’s ready, because we think he’s going to have a chance to have a really good season for us this year,” Scott said.

Clemson’s receiving corps lost senior stalwart Hunter Renfrow after last season but is still expected to have one of most dynamic groups in the country. Sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a pair of speedy 6-foot-4 receivers on the outside in Tee Higgins (59 catches, 936 yards, 12 TDs) and Justyn Ross (46, 1,000, 9), and Swinney raved this spring about early enrolled four-star freshmen Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson.

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