College football sees both ups and downs in a student-athlete’s life, both on and off the field. For one Clemson Tiger, he had to make a difficult decision to step away from the game. 

Sixth-year defensive end Armon Mason announced on social media on Monday that he will be medically retiring from the game of football. This comes a week after head coach Dabo Swinney announced that he would be missing the rest of his season due to lingering injuries in his leg. 

“A lot of ups and downs, specifically the last almost three years with my playing health,” Mason said in his caption. “I convinced myself I could outrun it but my body and mind finally caught up to me.”

The 2026 season alone showed Mason’s mental toughness throughout his career, seeing time against LSU and Georgia Southern and even recording a tackle against the Tigers to open the season. However, Swinney didn’t think that the Richmond Hill, Georgia, native was even going to play in his sixth season. 

Clemson just saw him continue to keep going throughout his process. 

“Honestly, we didn’t think he would be back this fall,” Swinney said. “And it’s really amazing that he was really able to get back and play some and just be available because he was not a guy we were counting on.”

Walking on the program in 2021, Mason worked his way up through the ranks, including seeing time on the scout team during his first season while he redshirted. The following season, he was able to see time in six games, even recording six total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in his second season. 

Then, the injury bug started to hit in his third season, and although he saw time in nine games in 2024, the setbacks continued to come for the defensive end, leading to the decision that he made on Monday. 

Beginning his college career intending to go to an FCS school, Mason’s story is one of many that show the power of collegiate athletics in overcoming obstacles. He was committed to Mississippi Valley State before flipping to the Tigers as a walk-on. By the time 2024 came around, he was on scholarship at a Power Four. 

Now, all that others can do is support the effort he put into following his dream. 

“The fact that he was even able to get back and be available, I’m happy for him because he did get to play some and he got a chance to get back out there,” Swinney said, “but, just unfortunately, this game, sometimes that’s how it goes.”