James Skalski Couldn't Finish Career With 'Fairytale Ending,' So He Finished It Coaching

ORLANDO, FL- James Skalski's career didn't end quite the way he had hoped, but the super senior was still all smiles after Clemson's 20-13 win over Iowa State in the Cheez-Bowl on Wednesday night in Orlando.

Routinely referred to as the quarterback of the Clemson defense, Skalski was forced to exit the game in the second quarter after aggravating an injury he has been dealing with off and on all season. When the Tigers returned to the field after halftime, the sixth-year linebacker was in shorts and a walking boot. and that is how he would spend the final half of his Clemson career.

"It's upsetting, you know, everyone wants the fairytale ending," Skalski said. "But it's something I've been dealing with for a while. I did everything I could to be on the field and just couldn't, so just had to make the call. Really proud of the guys, though, how well they played. Thought we played great on defense, so it was good to see."

The injury came on a third-and-three play from the Iowa State 45-yard line. While giving chase to Cyclones’ quarterback Brock Purdy, Skalski came up limping after the quarterback ran for a first down.

With the college chapter of his storied career now behind him, Skalski will begin to look ahead to what's next, and he's hopeful that the next step of his career will have him playing on Sunday's.

"I'm going to pursue the NFL, obviously," Skalski said. "I'm going to try to chase that dream."

However, while Skalski is absolutely certain that he wants to chase his dream of playing at the NFL level, he also knows there are no guarantees, and he's already thinking about what the future might hold beyond his playing days.

Over the backend of his Clemson career, Skalski has been seen as more than just the Tigers' most veteran linebacker. He was also seen as an extension of the coaching staff on the field, as he has often been seen in recent years coaching some of the younger players on the field.

On Wednesday night in Orlando, in his final collegiate game, Skalski was not able to finish his career the way he wanted, on the field of play. However, he was able to finish it up doing the thing he loves second-best, coaching up the younger players from the sideline, something he can easily see himself doing full-time at some point in the future.

"I've learned that you're supposed to do things you love, right," Skalski said. "I mean it's not a job. Just show up every day and I get to... So yeah, I do. I mean, I do see myself one day coaching. When that (NFL) door has been closed, I definitely see myself in coaching one day."

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