Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said during fall camp that there was "zero" chance injured receiver Amari Rodgers would be ready to play against Texas A&M in Week 2.
However, nearly three weeks after ruling out that possibility, Swinney left the door open Sunday night.
"I think he's really in a good place," Swinney said during his weekly teleconference with reporters. "I think he's really close, so we'll see."
Rodgers was fully dressed and went through warm-ups in Clemson's opener against Georgia Tech last Thursday, signaling that the junior might be further ahead of schedule than his previous "late September" timeline. He suffered a torn ACL on March 25.
The Tennessee native started all 15 games for the Tigers last season, finishing second on the team in receptions with 55 for 575 yards and four touchdowns. Rodgers is also Clemson's starting punt returner.
After playing at outside receiver last season, Rodgers will play in the slot in 2019.
"I think he's definitely ahead of schedule and doing great," Swinney said when asked if Rodgers could play against Texas A&M. "I think his timeline has moved up and I would say anything is possible at this point."
Senior Diondre Overton replaced Rodgers in the starting lineup against Georgia Tech and caught one pass for three yards in Clemson's 52-14 victory. If Rodgers is able to play Saturday, it would be only five-and-a-half months after suffering the injury.
