Georgia Tech defensive end Sylvain Yondjouen, who started two of the Yellow Jackets’ first three games, is out for the season with an undisclosed injury, coach Geoff Collins said Tuesday on his weekly videoconference. Tech plays No. 1 Clemson on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Yondjouen suffered an injury in the third game of the season, against Syracuse, and did not play against Louisville on Friday. He is the second defensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury, following defensive tackle T.K. Chimedza. In his second season, Yondjouen was showing promise in his ability to compress pockets and hold the point in run defense. He had five tackles, including 2.5 for loss, for the season.
“Sylvain was playing at a really high level for us,” Collins said. “Sylvain’s going to be out for the season, so just really sad for him, but excited about his future.”
Yondjouen, from Belgium, played in 11 games last season as a freshman, including two starts. Starting in 2021, he will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, as the NCAA has granted fall-sports athletes an extra season of eligibility.
Besides Chimedza and Yondjouen, the line has experienced significant losses. Defensive ends Kelton Dawson and Jaquan Henderson and defensive tackle Chris Martin, who started a combined 15 games last season, all left the team for various reasons and defensive end Antwan Owens (seven starts) is still waiting to return from a season-ending injury last year.
In their place, freshmen Jared Ivey, Kyle Kennard, Emmanuel Johnson and Akelo Stone have been a part of the defensive line rotation.
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