PFF Film Season Review: Clemson defense |
As Clemson is interviewing for a new defensive coordinator, we look at the key players on the unit last year and use PFF grades to assess their past performance while looking ahead to 2025.
As a reminder, PFF grades are made by PFF’s senior analysts watching film. “Each player is given a grade of -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments on a given play with 0 generally being the average or ‘expected’ grade. The plus-minus grades are then converted to a 0-100 scale at the game and season level.” Defensive Tackles Despite Clemson’s struggles stopping the run, the defensive tackles earn strong grades from PFF. Page had a strong senior year and Green proved he is ready at DT. pic.twitter.com/FyZ2U8texy Peter Woods is not included here (he played more snaps at DE), which leaves Payton Page and Stephiylan Green as Clemson’s top-graded tackles. Page had 32 tackles and a pick-six against the Citadel. He gave Clemson a reliable presence in the middle with over 580 defensive snaps. Green, only a redshirt freshman, proved he was ready by playing 309 snaps – second most at defensive tackle. Capehart was limited to 246 snaps by injury and perhaps was not always 100%. He was above average but didn’t quite reach the dominant levels set by preseason expectations. Tré Williams finally stayed healthy, playing a career-high 14 games with three starts and was serviceable. He finished with two sacks, 3 TFLs, and 14 total tackles. He has entered the transfer portal and will use his double-dip 2020 season (redshirt plus COVID-waiver) to play a sixth season at Michigan. Defensive Ends Defensive end was the trouble spot for the Clemson defense. Before the year, Swinney asked DE Coach Chris Rumph if he wanted to explore taking a DE from the portal but was rebuffed. In hindsight, they needed one. Parker and Heldt will be a great duo with Woods back on the inside. This transfer will get Clemson's D-line back to where it should be. pic.twitter.com/ZlHEKUKJrm T.J. Parker was a superstar at the position, especially in the second half of the season once his headache issues were resolved. Beyond him, there was a major void. Woods began the season at DE and was very good, but not quite as elite as he was at defensive tackle the year before. He eventually got hurt and returned to his more ideal position (DT) upon returning. Trying to fill the void didn’t go well. Cade Denhoff had 385 snaps but a paltry 54.4 PFF grade. He was weak against the run. A.J. Hoffler grades slightly higher overall across his 256 snaps and was even weaker against the run. Jahiem Lawson played 371 snaps and was a good pass rusher but also somewhat weak against the run. Stopping the run was Clemson’s biggest weakness and the cause of their eventual downfall to Texas. Defensive end was one of the biggest reasons for that. Also plotted on the chart is incoming transfer Will Heldt. He did not play for Clemson last season (he was on Purdue) but is included to show how big of an upgrade he will bring to the position. Fittingly, his strength is in rush defense. He will pair nicely with Parker to give Clemson an excellent DE duo. Behind them, Lawson and Denhoff should fare better in less critical roles. Lawson could be a valuable-pass rush specialist with fresh legs at times. Hoffler departs via the transfer portal (to GT), but the Tigers will be in good shape with their depth so long as at least one of Darien Mayo (Rs. Fr), Ari Watford (Fr.), Zaire Patterson (Rs. Sr.), or Armon Mason (Rs. Sr.) is ready to take meaningful snaps if called upon. If not, they’ll need help from the transfer portal. Linebacker Clemson’s linebacker play was good, yet somehow disappointing. Each of the past few seasons, we expected Clemson’s linebackers to be among the nation’s best, but while they’ve been good, they have fallen short of expectations. I'd expect a big jump from Sammy Brown next year. He and Woodaz make a great duo, but they'll need some to step up or come in for more depth. pic.twitter.com/V3YGe1l5WK Barrett Carter had a strong Clemson career and was a good leader and player for the Tigers. It is also true that his PFF grade declined in three straight seasons, peaking at 81.4 as a sophomore and sending at 68.5 in his senior year. He received strong grades in run defense, so he wasn’t the culprit there, but his lack of development perhaps says something about former linebacker coach Wes Goodwin. Wade Woodaz was Clemson’s best linebacker and has held steady between a 72.9 – 74.9 PFF grade all three of his seasons at Clemson. Sammy Brown’s PFF grade is shockingly low and doesn’t seem to match the eye-test, but it is useful to remember this is a season long grade and he improved as the year went on. His early season rush defense left some room for improvement. He is already a great pass rusher (5 sacks) and looks to be a star next year with Wade Woodaz. Beyond those two, the rest of the LB room is unproven. Two metro Atlanta natives, Jamal Anderson and Dee Crayton will be key for depth. Kobe McCloud, when healthy, may also be key. Depending on how many linebackers the defense wants on the field, this could be a spot where Clemson uses the transfer portal and has already invited Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander on campus for a visit. Cornerback Clemson was once again excellent at cornerback with Avieon Terrell being one of the best in the ACC and Ashton Hampton having an excellent freshman season. Clemson is in a great spot at cornerback where Mike Reed always has a strong room. pic.twitter.com/3T3yRwMMMm Jeadyn Lukus was solid in 532 snaps, giving the Tigers three quality cornerbacks in their rotation in 2024. All three are returning, making cornerback a position of strength in 2025. Beyond them, depth could be thin. Shelton Lewis played 198 snaps and saw a drop from 70.1 to 53.9 in PFF grade – a major sophomore slump. A bounce back from him or contributions from WR-turned-DB Ronan Hanafin would serve to give Clemson the depth they need at the position. Safety This is my last chance to get on my soapbox and tell you how R.J. Mickens is the most underrated player on the team. He had the third-highest PFF grade among ACC safeties and edged Parker by 0.1 for the top grade among Clemson defenders. RJ Mickens will be sorely missed. Clemson's most underrated player for the last few years! pic.twitter.com/NAwFGdSEwT Both Kylon Griffin and Khalil Barnes suffered some regression after stellar freshman campaigns in 2023. With Mickens exhausting his eligibility and heading to the NFL, the Tigers need this duo to have big seasons in 2025. If Barnes plays a substantial share of his snaps at nickel, a transfer could make sense at safety. Ricardo Jones only played 151 snaps but played well and could boost this room next season as he likely takes a bigger role. He wasn’t healthy at the start of 2024. A big spring by Jones could alleviate concerns here.
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