Clemson position group ranked No. 1 in the nation

Barrett Carter again anchors the No. 1 linebacker group in the nation, while TJ Parker helps lead another top unit.

by TigerNet Staff - Tue Jun 11 13:11:15 GMT-05:00 2024

Again, the expectations for Clemson's defense are high.

Pro Football Focus is ranking the top units for the 2024 college football season, and the Tigers are looking strong on defense thus far.

PFF's linebacker rankings have Clemson No. 1, again.

"For the second straight year, Clemson has the best linebacker unit in the country," PFF's Max Chadwick said. "It starts with Barrett Carter, my No. 2 returning linebacker in college football. No returning Power Five linebacker since 2022 has been more valuable than Carter according to PFF’s wins above-average metric. He’s especially dominant on passing downs, as he’s the only one in that same group with 80-plus grades as both a pass-rusher and run-defender in that span.

"Wade Woodaz is another returning starter who was third among ACC linebackers with a 49.7 passer rating allowed in 2023. Kobe McCloud is expected to take over the starting spot vacated by Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and earned a 75.4 PFF grade on 90 snaps last season. Finally, the Tigers also welcomed five-star true freshman Sammy Brown into the fold."

The outlet also has Carter on its 'Way-too-early' 2024 All-America team.

"All the talent is still there for Carter, and Clemson’s defense will continue to be one of the nation’s best," PFF's Mitch Kaiser said.

In the other PFF defensive ranking so far, Clemson is No. 9 in the national defensive line rankings.

"Clemson finds its way into the top 10 of this list thanks to two outstanding true sophomores. Peter Woods was third among FBS defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate (17.1%) and seventh in run-defense grade (88.6). His 87.6 PFF grade was the third-best we’ve seen by a true freshman interior defensive lineman since we began charting college football in 2014. The only two above him were Dexter Lawrence and Ed Oliver in 2016, who each currently make over $15 million a year from their respective teams," Chadwick wrote. "T.J. Parker was one of the Tigers’ starting edge defenders as a true freshman and excelled as a run-defender. His 83.0 run-defense grade was eighth among Power Five edge defenders last season."