Clemson WR Mike Williams returns, Deon Cain out for spring

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney delivered two bits of wide receiver news when he addressed reporters on the first day of spring practice on Monday. One was good; one was bad.

The good: Mike Williams, who missed the majority of the 2015 season with a neck injury, is cleared for team activities. The bad: Deon Cain, the Tigers’ third-leading receiver in 2015, will not participate in spring ball.

We’ll start with Williams. The star junior suffered a neck fracture when he collided with a goalpost on a touchdown catch in Clemson’s season-opening win over Wofford on Sept. 5. He missed the rest of the season.

Fast-forward six months and Williams is ready to go. According to The Post and Courier, Williams will wear a green, non-contact jersey as a precaution. Otherwise, he’ll be a full participant in individual and non-contact drills.

Williams was fourth in the ACC with 1,030 receiving yards as a sophomore in 2014. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Williams also had 57 receptions that season, including six for touchdowns.

Elsewhere, Swinney is not quite ready to bring Cain back to the practice field. Despite his production on the field last season as a true freshman, Cain had a few off-field issues, including a suspension for the College Football Playoff. Cain, a five-star recruit in the 2015 class, was one of three players sent home from the Orange Bowl for failed drug tests. He also was suspended for a game earlier in the season.

Cain will participate in team meetings and film study, but will not be allowed on the field this spring.

"We’ve removed the competitive part of it this spring, because I don’t want him to get distracted," Swinney said per ESPN.com. "I want him focused on what he’s doing and handling his responsibility to this university and this football program. If he continues to do those things, and I like his attitude and it’s all a positive, then he’ll be full-speed ahead when we get going in camp this fall."

Cain finished the 2015 campaign with 34 catches for 582 yards and five scores. 

For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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