After battling through a significant injury during the Tigers’ national championship campaign last year, Clemson forward Mohamed Seye has worked his way back onto the field for a chance to reach the top of the mountain top once more.
Last season, Seye suffered a torn ACL against Louisville in October, yet still continued to play in the following games through the national championship on Dec. 12, when he logged just 12 minutes in the Clemson victory.
In an interview with The Tiger, the senior forward dove into what last year’s experience was like for him.
“When I got injured, I had two options, which were to stop playing and have surgery or keep playing but playing in another way, having a different role, and I decided to have another role on the team,” Seye said.
Over the summer, the 6-foot-3, 188-pounder worked hard to regain his strength and pick up where he left off.
“At the beginning, I was excited about (coming back after injury) because it’s a long-term injury, and I’ve been here just training and rehabbing, so it is exciting to be back with the team and helping,” Seye added.
To start the 2022 season, the Tigers are 8-3-1, having defeated a highly-ranked Indiana team in the season opener.
The win over the Hoosiers holds a special place in Seye’s heart because he scored his first goal since returning from injury, which has set a precedent for the rest of the season.
“That was a very special game to me because it was the first official game and the first time I was back at Riggs since the injury,” Seye said. “It set a very good tone because we had an amazing performance.”
The senior noted that he owes much of the team’s success to the coaches. He puts lots of trust in what they do for the team and how they develop the players.
“If we keep doing what we are supposed to do and listen to the staff, coaches, and everyone involved with this program, we will be successful… we’re working for regional,” he said.
With the departure of several key players from last year’s team, Seye has had more of a leadership role this season.
While transitions are inevitable for all teams, it was especially challenging for Seye and the other upperclassmen to get everyone on the same page during the offseason.
“It was very tough during the summer because having ten freshmen on the team is sometimes difficult to manage,” Seye said. “A third of the team is first-year students, but now the results are coming, and I’m very proud of the freshman so far… they were a good incorporation for us.”
Given his experience and role on the team last year, Seye thinks it is his responsibility to help pass on the Clemson culture to the younger guys.
“I was here and won the ACC championship. I won the national championship and want to leave a winning legacy,” he said. “We have a winning mentality here, and that is the important thing about Clemson.”
As of Tuesday, the senior was tied for first in the ACC with six assists on the year, and Seye believes there is an essential role for him on the team with that accolade.
“I see myself as a leader, but not the guy that needs to be followed because we have so many guys that are very good,” Seye said.
Seye’s personal goal for this year is to keep up with what he’s already been doing while also improving in some other areas of his game.
“I would like to finish as the assist leader for the ACC and score a few more goals because I haven’t scored in a while,” he said. 
Aside from his athletics, Seye holds his time at Clemson as his proudest accomplishment, not only for soccer but for academics as well.
“An accomplishment for me is just being here, honestly, because Clemson is such a good school and has such a good soccer program,” Seye said.
Along with being proud of his own journey and making it to Clemson, Seye’s parents are very excited for him too.
“My dad and all of my family are very proud of me being here,” he said. “That is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life, along with getting a degree here.”
It is hard to adjust to moving far from where your family lives and adapting to new cultures, and although Seye misses home, he loves the culture at Clemson.
“I miss my family and my friends, of course, and the culture is different, but I really like the culture here because the people are so respectful,” he said.
As far as what he misses from back home, the cuisine at Clemson hasn’t lived up to what he experienced back home in Spain.  
“My mom’s food is not comparable to anything,” he said. “It’s the best.”
Being so far from home, the culture, the food and even the sport are different from Spain.
“Soccer there was more technical and less physical,” Seye said. “When I came here, it was all about being super fit and being ready to run eight miles a game. Spain was completely different.”
One of the deciding factors that brought Seye to Clemson is the legacy that the program had, and he is convinced that it is unmatched.
“It was the legacy that Clemson left for some people who used to play here,” Seye said. “I used to know the old goalkeeper here named Ximo Miralles, and he told me about how it was at Clemson.”
Seye listened to the ex-Clemson goalkeeper, who told him how much the players improved from freshman to senior year. Miralles also told Seye that the people at Clemson truly care for the players.
He noted that he just trusted Miralles and added that he “didn’t miss” and “came to the best place ever.”
After his life as a student-athlete at Clemson, Seye hopes to continue doing what he loves and knows best.
“I will try to go pro if I can go to the draft this year or maybe next year, who knows,” Seye said. “I am going to try and make this my career because it has been my dream since I was young, and I will work hard to accomplish it.”
The senior believes that winning the ACC championship and then the national championship were both his proudest soccer moments.
Given the extra year of eligibility from COVID-19, staying at Clemson would be an option Seye would take into consideration prior to declaring for the draft.
“Yeah, it is something I would consider, but if the season goes well… we will see because nobody knows.”