The rebuilding effort for the Clemson Tigers on defense heading into the 2015 season hit another speed bump this week when Dabo Swinney announced that starting defensive tackle D.J. Reader would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team to deal with “personal issues” away from the football field. Reader’s absence is another blow to one of college football’s top defenses in 2014 and a setback for the Tigers as they attempt to make a run at the ACC title this fall.
Reader has been a major contributor for the Clemson defense for a number of years now as part of their defensive rotation.