When the defending national champions in college football prematurely lose returning starters in the offseason it’s primarily due to the NFL Draft or the occasional transfer. This time, however, it appears the reigning champions are going to lose a player to the military.

That’s apparently the case with Clemson tight end Garrett Williams. A 13-game starter from last season, Dabo Swinney recently indicated Williams won’t return in 2019.

“He’s around this spring and is going to be out there helping us, but he’s dealing with his health issues. He’s getting his knee back right and he’s got a lot of things he’s dealing with. But he really wants to go into the military,” Swinney said according to Grace Raynor of The Post and Courier. “Right now, he’s probably not going to be back.”

While he was relatively healthy last season, Williams is expected to undergo surgery this offseason. He also tore his ACL in 2017. Considering he has desires to join the military, Williams may decide to walk away from the Clemson program before he jeopardizes his potential career in the military. It should be noted that both his father and his grandfather served in the military.

Clemson’s coach has expressed interest in having Williams back next season but is also supporting whatever decision the rising senior decides to make.

“He wants to join the military and he’s excited about that,” Swinney added. “So it’s big.”