Clemson HC Brad Brownell Updates Carter Welling’s Recovery Timeline

With tip-off a week away, Clemson finally has a clearer picture of when one of its most important big men could be back on the floor.

On Tuesday, Brad Brownell revealed that center Carter Welling will miss all of non-conference play as he continues to recover from his ACL tear. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clemson men’s basketball has its final exhibition contest tomorrow against Presbyterian College before beginning the regular season next Tuesday vs. Stetson.

With tipoff exactly one week away, we’ve finally received an update from head coach Brad Brownell on the recovery timetable for third-year center Carter Welling, who tore his ACL against Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC Tournament last season.

On Tuesday, Brownell revealed that he’s preparing for the 2026-27 season with the thought that Welling will be out for the entirety of non-conference play, as first reported by 247Sports’ Jon Rothstein. 

Clemson’s non-conference slate runs 12 games, beginning with the season opener on Nov. 2 and ending with a Dec. 22 matchup against Colgate.

Brad Brownell tells me that Clemson is preparing for the 2026-27 season with the thought that Carter Welling (knee) will be OUT for all of non-conference play.

The 6-11 Welling averaged 10.2 PPG and 5.4 RPG last season and suffered a torn ACL on March 11th in the ACC Tournament.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 27, 2026

This news shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans, given the severity of Welling’s injury. 

An ACL tear typically takes nine to 12 months to recover from, and since he went down in March, a potential return after non-conference play is the best outcome Clemson could have hoped for. That said, it isn’t guaranteed that Welling will be back right away for the start of conference play.

Earlier this summer, Brownell hinted at the possibility of this timeline, but it was still unclear, given how early he was in his recovery process.

“We’re hopeful that, at some point, if things go well and he wants to play, then he’ll play,” the veteran coach said in June. “Is that December, January? I don’t know. Some of it’s still as long as there haven’t been any setbacks, which he’s still kind of in the early stages.”

Brownell added that it’d probably be around two to three months before the staff could gauge where he’s at, health-wise and with it now being four months later, we finally have an idea.

The senior big man also spoke at ACC Tipoff earlier this month about how his process has been so far, saying he’s feeling good, but that it’s been one of the hardest times of his basketball career.

“It is feeling good,” Welling said. “It is feeling good. We are making progress. I got my strength and everything, so it has been good.”

“I think it is something that is really brutal. It is hard. Just trying to do my best day in and day out. Honestly, that is all it is. There is a lot of pain through the process, and just kind of accepting that fact and taking it a day at a time.”

So for now, the Tigers will lean on a frontcourt that features San Francisco transfer David Fuchs and Samford transfer Dylan Faulkner, who posted 21 points in his Clemson debut vs. Georgia last Friday. Sophomores Trent Steinour and Chase Thompson will also likely see a larger role this season.