Peter Woods sheds weight, is a leaner, meaner version of himself

Woods shows off his new form while flexing at a recent practice (Photo by Merrell Mann).

David Hood - Senior Writer - Tuesday, April 01 2025

CLEMSON – Defensive tackle Peter Woods is back and better than ever.

Woods played defensive end last season but also spent time on the sidelines, missing games against Stanford, NC State, and Virginia Tech due to injuries. He still recorded 32 tackles (8.5 for loss), 3.0 sacks, and a forced fumble in 391 defensive snaps over 11 games (10 starts).

Woods also played an additional five offensive snaps as a fullback in Clemson’s jumbo package on offense, but the injuries caused him to gain weight, and he admitted recently that he weighed as much as 320 pounds (and more) towards the end of last season.

Woods decided he needed to get back to the leaner, meaner, version of himself.

“I have probably lost about 20 real pounds. About 20 pounds,” Woods said after practice Saturday. “But really it was just little small tweaks in my diet, just a little bit extra every day just so I can play more plays at a higher level for a longer period of time. And that's something that me and Coach Swinney have really my back and challenged me to do is how many plays (can he play). You’re putting good stuff on film, but how many plays can you play at a high level? And I felt like probably getting a little smaller, which's probably something I needed to do.”

Woods said he knew he was too heavy to perform at a high level.

“Last year I played the season at 320. Me personally, I think that was too heavy,” he said. “I think towards the end of the season, after I got back from injury, I was 330 or something like that and that just definitely wasn't where I was supposed to be at all, anywhere, playing football for anybody. So we cut that down pretty quick.”

Woods said he feels like his quickness and agility have returned, and he knows the added weight didn’t help last season.

“I mean it'd be crazy if I didn't say that had something to do with it. I mean obviously I can't just tell you everything that had to play a part in it, but I think just not doing stuff and just kind of feeling sorry for myself about being injured, not being able to play,” Woods said. “It's a lot of stuff that factored into it, but fact of the matter is that we are working to get off now what was holding me back. Body tweaks, diet, what is actually just simple stuff. Don’t eat junk, don't eat dinner after a certain time. Late night eats sit on you, you wake up in the morning and they are still on you because your body hasn't digested it. Little stuff like that, I promise you it wasn't anything super crazy but that's just an example.”

Woods also expects to be back home at defensive tackle, but also says new defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s scheme will allow him to move around.

“Obviously, I'm a defensive tackle. That's probably how everybody views me, but I feel like I'm versatile enough to play anywhere on the defensive line, and I feel like I've always been that way,” Woods said, then added that Allen’s defense will allow to show his versatility. “Just the fact that it allows me to be able to do what I'm great at, which is just moving around, being able to play in space, isolate, isolate guys who I feel like probably aren't as athletic as me.”