Why Clemson football is confident Peter Woods, 5 others make defensive end depth a non-issue
CLEMSON – The bad news for Clemson football defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall is that his starters from last season – Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry – are on NFL rosters rather than the Tigers’.
The good news is that graduates Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll surprised Hall as well as coach Dabo Swinney by announcing they’d return for a sixth season with the program.
“It made my life a lot easier,” Hall said. “I can’t imagine being in a position room with no experience. That would’ve been some long nights and long days.”
The return of Thomas and Mascoll has not only considerably shortened Hall’s days and nights but also provided mentors for underclassmen whose development is imperative for the Tigers to have sufficient depth at the position in 2023.
Thomas and Mascoll have combined to play in 102 games and contribute 39 tackles for loss during their careers.
“Knowing I’ve got two guys who have played a lot of football, that’s so exciting for me,” Hall said. “They can help teach these young guys. We have some young pups, but they’re workers, they ask the right questions, they want to get better.”
Here are the six defensive ends Hall is counting on to get better:
Cade Denhoff
A redshirt sophomore and former four-star recruit, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Denhoff is in line to be one of Hall’s primary back-ups.
“Cade does everything right,” Swinney said. “He’s what you want.”
He played 19 snaps in six games last season, but saw plenty of action on special teams and was listed second on the depth chart behind Henry in the Orange Bowl.
Peter Woods
The Tigers’ five-star freshman enrolled in January and made a big first impression; the 6-2, 300-pounder had seven tackles, including a 9-yard sack, and blocked a PAT in the spring game.
Woods is capable of playing wherever he’s needed, which given the Tigers’ depth on the interior could be coming off the edge.
“He is a guy that can play any position on the D-line and play at a very high level,” Hall said. “He is a strong young man. The sky’s the limit for him and what he can do.”
T.J. Parker
Clemson’s latest player from Phenix City, Alabama, Parker follows in the footsteps of Justyn Ross, E.J. Williams and Ray Thornton III. Like Woods, he received plenty of playing time in the spring and had four tackles, including a 12-yard sack, in the spring game.
“He’s naturally explosive, he’s naturally strong in his lower body, and he’s got a high football IQ,” Swinney said. “He’s picked things up.”
Zaire Patterson
Patterson is a former four-star recruit with a big upside. At 6-5, 260 pounds, he’s a prototype for the position.
“He’s had a great summer, he’s worked hard, gotten bigger in the weight room,” Hall said. “The next step is maturity: 'Let’s do it at a high level, let’s be consistent.'”
Patterson, a redshirt sophomore, had four tackles and was credited with a quarterback hurry in the spring game.
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Jahiem Lawson
The younger brother of former Clemson standout defensive end Shaq Lawson, Jahiem knows his mission.
“One thing Jahiem can do is rush the quarterback,” Hall said.
Now Hall wants to see a bigger, stronger version of Jaheim, a redshirt freshman who’s 6-2, 235 pounds.
Armon Mason
Mason, a 6-2, 225-pound redshirt sophomore, played in six games last season as a walk-on, almost exclusively on special teams.
“Y’all better learn who Armon Mason is,” Swinney said. “Because if he sticks with it here, he’s going to be a problem.”
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Peter Woods leads defensive end dept
