Who starts against LSU? A way too early look

Jay Haynes has had since December to rehab for a torn ACL suffered in the ACC Championship. He isn't out of the running to play right away in late August.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Friday, May 02 2025

A mere 120 days separate us from the start of the 2025 college football season for the Tigers, when Clemson hosts LSU in what is already a highly anticipated matchup. Who will start for the home Tigers in that game?

With a nod to South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, who railed against the media a few weeks ago for posting what they perceived as an O-line depth chart, we aren’t going to dive into those perilous weeds just yet. Too many players missed the spring with injuries or were recovering from injuries.

But the starters? We have a pretty good idea, and barring injuries, this is who we expect to see take the field first against the Bayou Bengals.

Quarterback

Cade Klubnik. He’s the unquestioned leader and Heisman candidate.

Running back

This is probably the biggest question mark. I have talked to several people around the program who say that if Jay Haynes is healthy, he’s probably the guy who runs out there first. But will he be 100 percent or close to it after tearing his ACL against SMU? And then it might become someone runs out there first, like Adam Randall, but doesn’t get the bulk of the carries. Head coach Dabo Swinney and running backs coach CJ Spiller aren’t afraid to go by committee and then go with the hot hand. But if Haynes is ready to go, he’s the guy.

Wide receiver

Antonio Williams is the veteran of this group, and he’s the leader of this group. Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore are ready to take the next step, and this entire group is one of the best in the ACC, if not the entire country. But these three are the ones that run out there first.

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Tight end

Sure, Ian Schieffelin is a neat story. It will be fun to follow his progress if this happens. But he dealt with a back injury last season, and boxing out a kid from Stanford is a lot different than blocking Harold Perkins, who will play the “Star” position for LSU this season. Olsen Patt-Henry had just nine receptions for 121 yards last season, but he proved to have nice hands and he doesn’t mind doing the dirty work of blocking the guys in the other jerseys.

Offensive line

Tristan Leigh at left tackle, Harris Sewell at left guard, Ryan Linthicum at center, Walker Parks at right guard, and Blake Miller at right tackle. But I also expect Collin Sadler and Elyjah Thurmon to compete for a spot in camp, and several youngsters are coming along that will help create a true two-deep for this group.

Defensive line

TJ Parker at one defensive end spot and Will Heldt on the other side, with Peter Woods (where he belongs) back at defensive tackle, along with DeMonte Capehart. Good luck blocking those guys.

Clemson's defensive line is loaded because of guys like Peter Woods. Fantastic leverage and power from him all over his film pic.twitter.com/Zw7BTp92Px
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) May 2, 2025

Linebacker

The Tigers will mostly be in a two-linebacker set, which means Sammy Brown at middle linebacker and Wade Woodaz on the weakside. Woodaz was good last season, but now has a chance to take that next step under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen and linebacker coaches Ben Boulware and Thomas Allen. Boulware has posted many times on social media that he thinks Woodaz is a star waiting to happen.

Still very early & a lot of ball to be played but folks are SLEEPING on Wade Woodaz.

- A true 6’3.5
- 235 lbs.
- 34” arms
- Will run 4.5 easy
- Will jump out the gym. 35+” vertical without even warming up.
- Has played Sam, Mike & Will. So you know he has the football IQ to… pic.twitter.com/nZDe5C1yeo
— Ben Boulware (@benboulware7) May 1, 2025

Cornerback

Avieon Terrell and Ashton Hampton are two of the best corners in the league. Both are pesky, lockdown types and should give that defensive line time to wreak havoc, but don’t forget about Jeadyn Lukus, who posted 532 snaps last season and will battle for that other spot.

Safety-Nickel

This has an early feel like a rotation. Khalil Barnes is definitely one of the safeties, but he’s also valuable at nickel. Shelton Lewis spent time at nickel last season and could be the guy to get that first look, freeing up Barnes to play safety. But Ricardo Jones, Ronan Hanafin, and Kylon Griffin are all in the mix for the other safety spot.

Kicker

Nolan Hauser.

Punter

I am going to go out on a limb here. I think Robert Gunn, who has stuck around and handled kickoff duties and been a good teammate, will be the punter. The coaches didn’t get a punter in the portal, and Gunn’s biggest asset is his consistency – he won’t follow a 54-yarder with a 24-yarder.