Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Is Miami's Christian Wilkins to Blame for Preston William's Injury during Win Over Arizona?
Former Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, a two-time College Football Playoff National Champion, made a name for himself when it comes to touchdown celebrations during his time playing for Dabo Swinney's Tigers.
During his four years at Clemson, Wilkins often was one of the first to rush onto the field to celebrate a Tiger touchdown or big play. As a member of the special teams unit, he was granted the 'right' to always trot onto the field after a score and he wasn't one to let an opportunity to lift someone in the air--or even jump over--a teammate.
That trend has continued on Sundays as Wilkins now plays for the Miami Dolphins. But it may have gotten him into a little trouble over the weekend in the win over Arizona.
A leading target for Miami so far this season, Preston Williams hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter. However, Williams appeared to limp to the sideline only after Wilkins came running off the sideline to jump into a group of his teammates celebrating the score. It's unclear exactly when Williams was injured or even how long he will be sidelined.
Head coach Brian Flores told the media initially he didn't believe Wilkins played a role in William's injury but followed up that it was indeed a bigger deal than they originally believed.
“It’s more significant than we initially thought,” Flores said. “I don’t want to speculate on how long Preston is out.”
It's a tough break for Williams who is coming off an ACL tear in his rookie campaign last year. Perhaps moving forward Wilkins will have to pull back on his celebration leaps just a bit.
Wilkins concluded a stellar four-year career as one of Clemson’s most decorated and most beloved figures. He completed his career with 250 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 56 quarterback pressures, 16 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in 2,441 snaps over 59 games (45 starts). He's a three-time All-American who became the fifth unanimous All-American in school history in 2018, a three-time All-ACC selection, and the second four-time All-ACC Academic selection in school history.
