Reports: Clemson sends three players home from Orange Bowl

Clemson will be without three players, including one of its top playmakers, for Thursday’s Orange Bowl matchup with Oklahoma.

Wide receiver Deon Cain, tight end Jay Jay McCullough and kicker Ammon Lakip failed a drug test, according to reports from ESPN, The Clemson Insider and The (Charleston) Post & Courier. ESPN Upstate radio personality Price Atkinson first reported the players’ bowl week punishment as a result of a violation of team rules.

Cain is the biggest loss for the Tigers, as he is second on the team in receiving yards with 582 despite missing a game earlier this season. The freshman leads the Tigers in yards per catch at 17.1 and is tied for second on the team with five touchdowns.

McCullough has played sparingly, but has not recorded any stats, while Lakip is 1-for-1 on field goals and 8-for-8 on PATs. He also serves as the kickoff specialist.

The news comes at a bad time for Clemson as the Tigers held their last full practice in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

A Clemson spokesperson declined to comment. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney will be available to the media Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Reports: Clemson sends three players home from Orange Bowl."