Clemson spring game players to watch: Defense

Fans will get a first look at Peter Woods and what he can do in Death Valley with the spring game.

by Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Tue Apr 11 07:00:22 GMT-04:00 2023

While many of the most memorable players on Clemson’s championship teams were offensive superstars such as Trevor Lawrence, the defense – then led by defensive coordinator Brent Venables – was every bit as dominant as the offense.

Clemson traditionally smothers their opponents with elite defensive line play and leaves them begging for mercy, often struggling in the succeeding games as they recover from the Tigers’ physicality. With Venables leaving before last season, the mantle passed to Wes Goodwin. His first year leading the unit certainly wasn’t a failure, but ranking 28th in total defense undoubtedly fell below expectations.

Fortunately, they received good news with defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro electing to delay their NFL careers and play another year at Clemson. Defensive Ends Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll did the same and it seems the Tigers have the potential to reclaim their elite status on defense. To do that, they’ll need several players to elevate their play and the spring game will give us an opportunity to see if they’re ready to do that. Here are the players I’ll have my eye on.

DL Peter Woods #11

From all accounts, Peter Woods is opening eyes all this spring. Safety RJ Mickens says “He’s just been dominating people.” Andrew Mukuba adds “the hype is real man. Everybody (can see) the hype is real).” Defensive tackles coach Nick Eason isn’t holding back either, observing that he “has the twitchiness, and the power, and the quickness of some dominant NFL defensive linemen that I've been around.” Swinney even said he has no weaknesses to his game.

With Davis, Orhorhoro, Payton Page, Tré Williams, and DeMonte Capehart at defensive tackle, having a freshman come in and contribute is more of a luxury than a need, but defensive end is a very different situation. He’s played primarily in the middle this spring and that’s where I expect to see him in the spring game, but perhaps he could move outside if there’s a need there. Regardless of how they get him on the field, I can’t wait to see what everyone is raving about.

DE Justin Mascoll #7

Unlike Woods, we’ve seen a lot of Justin Mascoll. The former four-star recruit from suburban Atlanta enters his sixth(!) season at Clemson and has a chance to become a true starter for the first time. While his experience is great, his production has lagged behind. He has only nine tackles for loss and two sacks in his career with his last sack coming in 2020. His PFF grade last season was 56.8. The other primary defensive linemen’s scores ranged from KJ Henry at 83.1 to Page, 67.7.

Despite that, many believe he can have a breakthrough in his final year like Henry and Kevin Dodd did. Among them are position coach, Lemanski Hall, who said “Mascoll is gaining weight… He’s taking care of his body. He’s eating well. He’s getting rest. I’ve never seen this Mascoll before so I’m excited to see his progression moving forward.” A strong spring game performance would go a long way toward adding optimism for that outcome.

DE Cade Denhoff #44

Denhoff redshirted 2021 and only played 19 defensive snaps in 2022. He was a four-star recruit out of Florida and the opportunity is there for the taking. Hall wants to see him perform consistently in practice so he knows he can trust him on gameday. Getting meaningful and productive snaps from Denhoff would at minimum shore up the depth at DE and could be crucial if Thomas has an injury or Mascoll struggles.

S Andrew Mukuba #1

Andrew Mukuba had an outstanding freshman year in 2021 and then struggled through most of 2022. Now it’s come to light that his injuries went beyond the dislocated elbow as he fought through knee and ankle issues as well. Now he’s added 10 pounds of muscle and according to position coach and co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn, “this spring, he’s been a different Andrew.”

Clemson’s biggest weakness on defense was stopping the pass. While they have other quality safeties, Mukuba has the potential to be a superstar. Having him play up to his potential could be the most important factor in fixing Clemson’s pass defense.