Woodaz embraces expectations, says there's 'no running from the smoke'

Woodaz runs through a drill at Thursday's practice (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood · Senior Writer · Saturday, August 02 2025

CLEMSON – Wade Woodaz wants the pictures of this year’s team on the walls of the football facility, and he thinks that can be accomplished. After all, there is no running from the smoke.

Woodaz and his Clemson teammates began fall practice Thursday, and following that practice, Woodaz addressed the media to discuss camp and the upcoming season. He was asked about the heightened expectations, and he said he not only likes those expectations, he embraces them.

He also wants to leave a legacy.

“To be brutally honest, I'm tired of hearing Coach (Dabo) Swinney talk about Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant and Dexter Lawrence and Trevor Lawrence and all of the past leadership,” Woodaz said. “I want to take all the current stuff that's on the walls (the pictures) down, and I want it to be us. I want it to be this team. So, I think just fostering the idea of that to the leadership and then going out there and working every day. And then the coaches, a brand new coaching staff, to push us to get to where we want. They want to be successful as well.”

Woodaz believes a linebacker group that has bought into the philosophies of linebackers coach Ben Boulware and defensive coordinator Tom Allen will be a big part of this team’s success. He isn’t running from the smoke.

“For sure, just because the attention to detail that's demanded of us and then the energy,” Woodaz said. “They just bring the juice every day, so you can't run from it. There's no running from the smoke, which it'll work out in the end. Make us better. Everything is watched and accounted for. Every stat, every single rep, and you'll be held accountable if you do good or if you do bad. You'll be praised when you do well and then when you do bad, you’ll know about it.”

Woodaz said Boulware is not afraid to tell the truth, even if it hurts someone’s feelings.

“I love Ben just as a human and then as a coach even more,” Woodaz said. “First of all, he's not scared to tell me the truth. Whatever that looks like. As brash and harsh as it might be, I appreciate him for that. And then just constantly pushing, but being able to be a human with it at the same time, so it's not like he's just speaking down on me, speaking down on me, speaking down on me, and there's no relationship behind it. It's because we could talk to each other that way. Well, he can talk to me that way. I don't yell at him (laughing)."