First career start ‘just a blessing’ for veteran defender Cade Denhoff

Cade Denhoff was there to jump on a forced fumble in his first career start versus NC State.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sep 28, 2024, 7:00 AM

CLEMSON - It took a long time, but graduate defensive end Cade Denhoff finally got his first career start when Clemson topped NC State last week. He took advantage of his opportunity by also recording his first career fumble recovery.

“I put a lot of work in at this point, just a blessing to be able to get that opportunity to go out there,” Denhoff said. “It was a lot of fun, a long time in the process to get to that point, just a lot of development. But, it was just a blessing to be able to go out there, run out there first with the Tigers. The defense that we have is just a blast to be able to play with them. All the guys that are (out) there. So, it was a lot of fun.”

Coming out of high school, Denhoff was a top-ranked defensive end and ranked as the No. 82 overall prospect in the nation in his recruiting class according to ESPN.com. He finished his high school career with 26.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and four recoveries.

Such a talented player, particularly one that does not see a lot of playing time in their first few seasons, typically resorts to the transfer portal in this new era of college football. However, Denhoff chose to stick with the process and trust that he would eventually get the chance to start.

“First of all, this is just where I wanted to come and I felt like this is home for me and I just wanted to be committed to the place that I decided to further my education and my athletic career and I just had hope that there was good things to come in the future,” Denhoff said. “I’ve never really been a transfer guy. I’ve never really looked at the transfer portal, (never) something I really wanted to pursue. I just didn’t really want to leave. My feet were settled here.”

A journey like this also involves a great coach. One who has been critical for Denhoff is Chris Rumph. This season is Rumph’s first full season with the Tigers since returning in December. He previously worked with Clemson from 2006 to 2010 before going into the NFL. With all of his coaching experience, Rumph brings a plenty of football knowledge to the defensive ends room and his approach to the game is very similar to Denhoff’s, something that has helped him develop as a player.

“He is an exceptional coach. We love what he’s done with us so far with our position group. Just really the learning aspect of it. He’s just taught us so much about the position and how to play it correctly, just breaking down the fundamentals of it, which helps us play so much faster,” Denhoff said. “He’s very, very fundamentally sound and he wants us to be technically sound, which is great. That’s how I am as a player. That’s how I approach my game. So, it’s been a lot of fun just working with him and being able to get down to the nitty-gritty of how to play the position and it’s helped us a ton.”

Rumph’s coaching may also explain why Denhoff believes this defensive end group has the most depth he has seen in his entire collegiate career. The Tiger defense has been a force thus far this season, with 18 tackles for loss through the first three games.

“Everybody on the D-line can play. We can throw them in there and they can play, honestly. But, it’s the most developed we’ve been across the board since I’ve been here, which is really cool to see,” Denhoff said. “We can all go out there and compete. Everyday at practice, there’s been a competition. We’re feeding off of each other. We’re also teaching each other and coaching each other whenever we can. We’re really just interested in guys just progressing and getting better each and every day.”

The depth of Clemson’s defense certainly showed against the Wolfpack. Even without top defender, sophomore defensive lineman Peter Woods, the defense held NC State to seven points in the first half. Woods continues to be day-to-day with a knee injury, putting his status against Stanford this coming Saturday (7 p.m. / ESPN), but Denhoff will certainly be glad to have him back on the football field.

“He’s just a freak athlete, that’s the thing that stands out the most. It took him, because he came over in the spring and it took him like a week or so to kind of get adjusted (because there’s) some (differences) that you have to be aware of. But, he just took off from there,” Denhoff said. “Everybody knows he’s such a good athlete and he’s just fast. Seeing him on the edge and seeing him pass rush, especially, is just fun to watch and it was just a seamless transition. It’s been fun having him in there.”