Clemson Fall Camp: What we've learned about the defense

Wade Woodaz will be a versatile part of Clemson's linebacker corps.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Aug 16 07:00:19 GMT-04:00 2023

Yes, the freshmen are pretty good, but depth might be an issue.

We’ve seen and heard a lot through the first 12 days of fall camp, and once school starts next week, the Tigers will start season preparations ahead of the Labor Day opener at Duke. We know the Tigers are talented across the board, but depth at two spots is concerning.

Here is the defensive edition of what we’ve seen during camp, and we will start upfront.

Defensive end Xavier Thomas looks fantastic, and if he stays healthy, Thomas is poised for the best of his six seasons. We’ve also heard good things from both Justin Mascoll and Cade Denhoff – Denhoff had a pick-six against Cade Klubnik in Saturday’s scrimmage, and freshman TJ Parker is angling towards early playing time.

Parker adds depth, while Zaire Patterson, David Ojiegbe, and AJ Hoffler are looking to earn whatever snaps are left.

At defensive tackle, the Tigers know what they have. Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis will start, with some combination of Peter Woods, Payton Page, and Tré Williams the next players off the bench. But we’ve heard great things about DeMonte Capehart, and Vic Burley was having a great camp before he got injured. Burley could be out a few weeks, or it could be longer. The good news? There is plenty of depth at that spot and Burley doesn’t have to rush back.

At linebacker is where things get a little dicey. The Tigers have known quantities in middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., weakside linebacker Barrett Carter, and strongside linebacker Wade Woodaz. But Trotter is out for now with injury, and the coaches have decided to cross-train Woodaz to play any of the three spots.

“He’s cross-training,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “He can play Mike and Will. Certainly can go play nickel-SAM. But he’s definitely got to be the guy. Somebody’s toenail falls off it’s got to be Woodaz, and he’s got to be ready. If it means him bumping to Will, if it means Barrett moving, whatever, we’ve got to have the ability to do that. Woodaz gives us that flexibility.”

Woodaz played a lot as a true freshman, recording 20 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a blocked punt and three pass breakups.

“We’re really, really fortunate because we’ve got three elite players, high level players that can, you’re not going to have a lot of dropoff,” Swinney said. “Those guys can play.”

However, TJ Dudley was being counted on to provide needed depth this season, but he was dismissed from the team late in July. In his stead, freshman Dee Crayton is the name we’ve heard the most. Crayton weighed in at 225 last month, and we’ve heard that while he’s had his freshman moments, he’s also performed really well.

“That’s a really, really good situation for us as we bring Dee (Crayton) along, Kobe (McCloud),” Swinney said. “Kobe’s made a lot of progress, feel good about where he’s heading. Jamal (Anderson). So we’re bringing those guys along and then got a couple walk-on guys, (Colby) Doolittle and Fletcher Cothran that are pretty good athletes. Big, strong kids that can hopefully be those special teams bodies that we need and kind of the seventh, eighth-type guy.”

The secondary is a little more settled. Sheridan Jones and Nate Wiggins are playing like they’re supposed to play, and Jeadyn Lukus and Toriano Pride have each progressed. Lukus put a big hit on tight end Sage Ennis Saturday – Jones told me he didn’t see it but definitely heard it – and everyone on both sidelines erupted.

But, as we’ve written before, the name we keep hearing the most is freshman corner Avieon Terrell, and Jones said Terrell is identical to his older brother, AJ Terrell.

“They look identical,” Jones said. “Like from the first day, I was working out with him before camp. He was already in the summertime, out there in Atlanta and his technique, they look just alike. It’s just crazy, just seeing how fast and how open he is to learning the game. He wants to know everything, every little detail. He’s like a sponge, and that’s good to see.”

The Tigers are in a good spot at safety with Andrew Mukuba, Jalyn Phillips, and RJ Mickens. But the name we keep hearing there is another freshman in Khalil Barnes. Barnes doesn’t lack the ability to come down in the box and hit people, and he’s also been good in coverage. This is another spot where he doesn’t have to play right away, but I think he can earn his way onto special teams and earn valuable snaps at safety this season, because he will likely have to play an even bigger role next season.