Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney recently addressed questions about whether he and his staff should have sought a more experienced defensive end in the off-season. After losing a defensive end to the transfer portal and another to graduation, Swinney spoke with defensive ends coach Chris Rumph to gauge interest in adding a veteran. Ultimately, Rumph felt confident in the group already on the roster.
Following last week’s loss to Louisville, where the Tigers allowed 210 rushing yards and an average of 7.9 yards per carry, Clemson is now ranked 95th in the nation for yards allowed per rush (4.61). Swinney acknowledged that the team is “not setting the edge and is not getting off blocks” as effectively as needed, particularly when Peter Woods has been sidelined by injury.
“We love our roster. Sometimes you have injuries and things like that, so we do not have any regrets on how we put our roster together this past year,” Swinney said Tuesday. He emphasized that the defensive end group has made progress and has room to grow, even if it hasn’t shown consistently in games.
“We are growing. Jahiem (Lawson) has done some good things. (A.J.) Hoffler is really coming along. We feel like he is developing. Armon (Mason) is getting a little bit of experience as well,” he said. “Peter is definitely one of the best players for sure, but we have to get better.”
Clemson will look to improve on the edge Saturday against Virginia Tech.