The Clemson football program during the Dabo Swinney era year after year produces top-tier defensive lines. This shouldn’t change in 2024, with the Tigers boasting one of the country’s top defensive lines heading into the season.
There’s a strong mix of veteran talent and standout freshmen from the 2023 season, with defensive tackle Peter Woods and defensive end T.J. Parker being two of the top defensive freshmen in the country. While they did lose a good bit of talent here, this program always has another player on the defensive line ready to make a statement.
According to ESPN, the defensive line will once again be the Tigers’ biggest strength in the upcoming season.
The defensive line has long been Clemson’s bread and butter, and it should be again in 2024. While some of the unit’s veterans — Xavier Thomas, Tyler Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro — have moved on, there’s ample young talent ready to take over. Peter Woods exploded onto the scene as arguably the nation’s best freshman interior lineman last year, and his ceiling is incredibly high. T.J. Parker racked up 12.5 tackles for loss off the edge as a freshman last season, too. A host of veterans stepping into bigger roles, led by Cade Denhoff and Payton Page, add to the depth. This should, once again, be among the ACC’s best fronts. — Hale
This defensive line is more interesting than most. It feels like a unit that won’t get hype like this but has a ceiling as high as many other fantastic defensive lines we’ve seen at Clemson. It will be an exciting unit to watch!