Tag: Clemson defense

Clemson defense ranks top five in EA Sports College Football 25

How good will Clemson’s defense be in 2024? EA Sports College Football 25 has the Tigers’ defensive unit in its top five rankings.

With EA Sports College Football 25 less than a month away from its release date (July 19), fans are understandably excited about the first newly released NCAA college football video game in 11 years.

Clemson fans are no different, and on Thursday the Tiger faithful learned a bit more about the game’s various elements — one of which is offensive and defensive team rankings.

The Tigers’ offense was ranked at No. 10 with an overall rating of 87. But it was Clemson’s defense that took the highest unit ranking (No. 5) with an overall rating of 90.

Clemson’s rating was one spot above Notre Dame at No. 6 and one spot below Alabama at No. 4. All three teams, plus Michigan at No. 7, garnered a 90 overall rating. Ohio State was the No. 1 ranked defense with a 96 overall rating.

The Tigers’ defense is expected to be one of the biggest strengths of the team headed into the 2024 season. Clemson returns star linebacker Barrett Carter, defensive line mainstays Peter Woods, T.J. Parker and DeMonte Capehart, as well as senior safety R.J. Mickens.

The Tigers also welcome the much-heralded addition of freshman five-star linebacker Sammy Brown to defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s unit. Brown had eight tackles (six solo) and a sack in Clemson’s spring game.

RELATED: Observations from Clemson’s defense in 2024 spring game

Back in April, ESPN ranked Clemson’s defense No. 4 in the nation in its future power rankings. The Tigers will open the 2024 season against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for noon EDT. The game will televised nationally by ABC.

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Goodwin says Parker is ‘well beyond his years’

True freshman defensive end T.J. Parker leads Clemson in sacks and is fifth in total tackles.

Coming into the 2023 season, all eyes were on five-star defensive tackle Peter Woods to be the standout player in the Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class. And while Woods has played well, another true freshman has emerged as a difference maker for the Tigers on the defensive line.

Through six games, defensive end T.J. Parker leads Clemson in sacks with four and has the fifth most total tackles on the team with 19.

While Parker is just a true freshman and isn’t technically a starter, he has cemented himself among the Tigers’ best pass rushers, earning praise from defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin on Monday.

“You knew early on, even in January coming in, that he was kind of well beyond his years as far as football, understanding his technique and just his work ethic,” Goodwin said of Parker. “Just the type of young man that he is, really high character, great family, all of the above. But every week, he seems to get better and better and better.”

Parker had the best game of his young career against Syracuse in Week 5 when he had five tackles and two sacks. The performance earned him ACC Player of the Week honors, and he joined Myles Murphy, Dexter Lawrence and Corico Wright as the only Clemson freshmen in the Dabo Swinney era to record two sacks in a single game.

“He still needs to clean up some alignment issues and doing some small things better. But for the most part, he’s been really productive,” Goodwin added. “Heavy-handed, providing some good pass rush force up front and just brings great energy and demeanor, as well, on game day. He really understands how offenses attack. I’m super excited about the second half, seeing where he continues to improve and grow.”

A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Parker has been playing behind Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll. That said, his youth and inexperience haven’t stopped him from seeing significant snaps.

Mascoll had high praise for Parker when speaking to the media on Sept. 26, saying that Parker is much further along than where he was as a freshman.

“He’s just a hard worker, and he competes every day,” Mascoll said. “He definitely pushes me and XT every day to be better, and I just appreciate him so much. He’s kind of he’s come a long way. I mean, he came in the spring, but he’s made a major stride in his game as far as being a great pass rusher and playing the run well. And just his knowledge of the game was growing. You could just tell he knows a lot of football.”

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Clemson DT shares whether he’s come to a decision on next season

Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the ACC Championship in Charlotte this weekend. With just two games left to play in the season, the redshirt junior shared where he’s at in deciding whether he will return …

Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro spoke to the media on Monday ahead of the ACC Championship in Charlotte this weekend. With just two games left to play in the season, the redshirt junior shared where he’s at in deciding whether he will return next season or declare for the NFL draft.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder has showcased consistent performances throughout the season, helping build his NFL draft stock.

When asked about what’s to come after this season, Orhorhoro shared that he’s focusing on the moment, and the decision on whether to stay or go is still yet to come.

“I’m undecided about what I’m going to do,” he said.

The veteran also added that the decisions of his fellow linemen are still up in the air at this point as well.

“We’re still focused on this season, we still have some games left to play,” he said. “We’ll just be in the now right now.”

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Simpson on switching positions: ‘It felt very natural’

Linebacker Trenton Simpson was back in action last week following missing the Louisville game due to an ankle injury. The junior was back in the Sam position this week, which he hasn’t played in since his sophomore season. Simpson had been playing …

Linebacker Trenton Simpson was back in action last week following missing the Louisville game due to an ankle injury. The junior was back in the Sam position this week, which he hasn’t played in since his sophomore season.

Simpson had been playing the Will position this season prior to the Miami game, but after seeing what both linebackers Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter did on the field against Louisville, defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin made the switch against Miami.

Simpson spoke to the media on Tuesday ahead of this week’s rivalry game against South Carolin and shared that it felt very natural to be playing the Sam position again. After playing both his freshman and sophomore seasons at the position, he felt he had the confidence to make the adjustment at this point in the season.

“It felt very natural,” he said. “I had a fun time being able to go out there and fly around, but it definitely felt super natural and I felt like I was doing what I did in my freshman and sophomore year all over again.”

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder shared that the position switch started as an idea he mentioned to his coaches, but now to him, it feels right to stay in the Sam position for the remainder of the season.

“It all started off as like a small idea, but I talked to my coaches about it and we just wanted to take a chance and see how I look,” he said. “I definitely enjoyed it and I know I will continue to play that sometime in my career. I think Sam is my move right now so far.”

The North Carolina native shared that ultimately he wants to play where can best support the team. In the win over Miami, Simpson had a career-high-tying two sacks and a forced fumble. With such a natural performance, it seems he felt very confident fulfilling that role for the Clemson defense.

“Sam is a natural position and that’s what I did my first two years,” he said. “I just trust in my coaches, and wherever they feel I can help the team win, I went out there and did that and did my best at it.”

Having Simpson back at the Sam position displays that the Clemson linebacker corps is dynamic. He shared that the defense is becoming more balanced, and that’s helping the team perform better each week.

“It was definitely an adjustment,” he said. “It wasn’t too much really hard, I think just putting more time and preparation into it and continue to get better. Just having players who can fill that role, we all have a balanced defense that can go out there and continue to perform. And what we’re doing on defense, I think it will work it.”

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Simpson reflects on rivalry and expects it to be ‘rocking in the Valley’

The rivalry game between Clemson and South Carolina is certainly a competitive one with historical significance, but this year the Tigers are back home in Death Valley and looking to match the performance the team had in this game last year. Junior …

The rivalry game between Clemson and South Carolina is certainly a competitive one with historical significance, but this year the Tigers are back home in Death Valley and looking to match the performance the team had in this game last year.

Junior linebacker Trenton Simpson is quite familiar with the significance of the rivalry, and having played in the game last year, he feels prepared for what to expect. Simpson spoke to the media on Tuesday and reflected on the Tigers’ 30-0 shutout of the Gamecocks in Columbia last year.

“It was huge, that defense was special and our offense really showed up,” he said. “I think we really needed that last year. Just being able to do it against a rivalry team, I think we look forward to doing it again this year.”

Simpson also reflected on his childhood. Being a North Carolina native, he shared that he grew up watching this game, and those memories just make this game more personal to him.

“It’s definitely a unique rivalry, I watched it growing up,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to play in it. It means a lot, and I was able to play them last year and be a part of that, so just want to continue the streak and don’t let nobody in this program down.”

“I do have a couple memories,” he added. “I just always knew it was a true rivalry, and being able to come play in it, being in the facility this week, it’s definitely one of those weeks.”

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder emphasized that the morale of the fans will be a key factor in the game this week. He expressed that the support of the Clemson fans will help the team put on a show on Saturday.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I know our fans are going to come behind us this week and cheer us on this coming week. It will be rocking in the Valley. I’m excited. I’m excited to be able to go out there and play in front of our fans, and I know that they are going to support us and we are going to put on a show for them.”

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney takes this rivalry very seriously. Simpson explained that although the team always prepares for every opponent with equal precision, this week requires a little bit more of an edge from the team in order to get in the right mindset to face its rival.

“This is definitely a goal of his (Dabo Swinney) own for the team and the program,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be an edge that we have to show out there on Saturday. This whole week our mentality has to be, going out it’s not going to be a change for any opponent, but this week definitely is just an edge, knowing South Carolina is a rivalry game.”

Simpson shares the keys to limiting USC’s offense

Clemson’s defense is facing off against a confident South Carolina offense this Saturday. The Gamecocks are coming off a dominant win over Tennessee, that featured 438 passing yards and six touchdowns by quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler, who has …

Clemson’s defense is facing off against a confident South Carolina offense this Saturday. The Gamecocks are coming off a dominant win over Tennessee, that featured 438 passing yards and six touchdowns by quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler, who has had an up-and-down season, has been finding his form as of late, and that means it will be up to the Clemson defense to exploit the weaknesses of the quarterback this weekend.

Linebacker Trenton Simpson, who is coming off an excellent performance of two sacks and a forced fumble against Miami, spoke to the media on Tuesday and detailed how the defense plans to prepare for an unpredictable South Carolina offense.

“They have a lot of good players,” he said. “They had a lot of players who showed up that week and had a great game, but it’s all about players and performance. Just making sure we limit Rattler and do our best to contain the run and make sure we stop the passes, that’s all we need to do.”

The North Carolina native is embracing the challenge that this historic rivalry presents. However, the Clemson defense is dialing in on forcing turnovers and picking up fumbles this week in practice, which is something the junior expressed is essential in combatting the South Carolina offense on Saturday.

“I definitely embrace the challenge and I know the defense does also,” he said. “We’re excited. Today is our Tuesday practice, and it’s one of those days, TA-NO-GA (“Takeaways/No Giveaways”) Tuesday. So, just focusing on getting the balls, just have to get a lot of turnovers this week, and try to force fumbles, and turn tips into picks. Just do as much as we can to help the offense get the ball back and win field position.”

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder shared that a lot of what Clemson needs to do on Saturday is stopping the run game and pressuring Rattler. When Rattler is comfortable and has time, he has the ability to make plays. Simpson shared that it will be key to prevent Rattler from finding his rhythm in the game.

“We definitely have to focus on stopping Spencer, with him being the quarterback, making sure we get after him, send as many blessings and just make sure we have a great game plan to stop what he does best,” he said.

Trotter after Miami win: ‘This defense has definitely taken a step forward in the right direction’

Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has established himself as a firm leader in Clemson’s defensive unit after his second consecutive game of leading the team in tackles. Trotter, who has been playing the Mike position this season, has …

Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has established himself as a firm leader in Clemson’s defensive unit after his second consecutive game of leading the team in tackles.

Trotter, who has been playing the Mike position this season, has emphasized to the media that he is making a more conscious effort to be a vocal leader on the defense, which is something Clemson seemed to be missing in the loss to Notre Dame just a few weeks ago. The New Jersey native shared with the media after Saturday’s 40-10 win over Miami what shifted for the defense after the loss to the Irish.

“Definitely the mentality, the work ethic and overall our technique has become a lot better as far as everybody making sure they are doing their job,” he said.

The 6-foot, 230-pounder added that the defense is progressing on an upward trend in the right direction at the most critical point of the season.

“I feel like this defense has definitely taken a step forward in the right direction,” he said.

With a reinvigorated mindset and some cleanup on technique, the Clemson defense had one of the most dominant performances of the season in the win over Miami on Saturday. The efficiency of Clemson’s run defense was on full display, holding Miami to just 8 total yards of offense in the first half.

Trotter, who came up with nine total tackles, continually applied pressure to the Miami offense, not allowing them to garner any momentum for the majority of the game. Trotter indicated that Clemson had been preparing for the run game of Miami all week, and evidently that preparation yielded good results for the Tigers on the field.

“That was definitely an emphasis point of our game plan, just stopping that quarterback run,” he said. “We knew No. 11 (Jacurri Brown) liked to run the ball, they liked to run the ball with No. 11 a lot with those QB counters, those QB draws. All during the week, coach was emphasizing that we got to stop that and basically turn our attention to stop that run.”

The Clemson defense held Miami’s offense to the third fewest yards in the program’s history, and Trotter believes that’s a direct reflection of the physicality the defense brought to the game.

“I feel like that just shows the type of game the defense played,” he said. “Stopping them and being able to get negative yards and tackles for loss, just being dominant the entire game.”

This week, with Trenton Simpson back in the linebacker corps alongside Barrett Carter and Trotter after being sidelined with an injury last week, Trotter shared that it felt good to be back in their normal groove and see the defense collectively play with such dominance.

“It was great having Barrett (Carter) out there, having Trenton (Simpson) out there after his injury,” he said. “And you know he was making plays, balling out, Barrett was balling out. I just feel like altogether the defense collectively, we all played very well.”

Phillips on defensive dominance in win over Miami: ‘That’s what we do’

Senior safety Jalyn Phillips had one of the best games of his career in the win over Miami. The highlight of the game for Phillips came in the second quarter when safety R.J. Mickens deflected a pass from Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown. The …

Senior safety Jalyn Phillips had one of the best games of his career in the win over Miami. The highlight of the game for Phillips came in the second quarter when safety R.J. Mickens deflected a pass from Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown. The deflection by Mickens set up an interception for Phillips, who has been a consistent part of Clemson’s secondary all season.

The Georgia native, who is one of the most experienced players in Clemson’s secondary, spoke to the media after Saturday’s 40-10 win over Miami and shared that the defense has made a mindset shift since the loss to Notre Dame.

In the last two games, the defense has come out with some of the most physical performances of the season, and Phillips believes that it has never been the talent or the skill set holding the defense back this season, but the mindset.

However, he affirmed that he believes the Tigers have the right mindset again and are dialed in with a sense of purpose for what they have to accomplish out on the field.

“We didn’t come out with the right mindset for that game,” he said. “Last game and this game we came out with the right mindset. It’s all about mindset, when you play defense that’s all it is, being physical and having that great mindset when you go out there on the field.”

This mindset referenced by the safety has also been emphasized by defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin. Goodwin has expressed that since the loss to Notre Dame, he has been pushing the defense to play with a heightened level of physicality. Phillips shared that playing a physical style of defense has always been a part of this group’s identity.

“That’s what we do,” he said. “That’s been our defense since we started in camp. We want to attack folks.”

The physicality and the mindset of this defense will be critical when it comes to the next test against South Carolina. The historically contentious rivalry between the Tigers and the Gamecocks will be the final home game of the season.

Phillips shared that the Clemson defense will be preparing with purpose to be able to defeat the Gamecocks at home next Saturday.

“South Carolina, that’s a game of its own, a season of its own, rivalry of its own,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest rivalries in the country, so we’re definitely going to prepare with purpose for them, but my mindset is that it’s just another game. They are in our way of what we’re trying to accomplish, so always have that windshield mentality and focus on what’s next.”

Clemson’s defensive dominance shuts out Miami in the first half

The Clemson defense has been on the precipice of an extremely dominant performance all season, and in the first half against Miami, everything seemed to be working. At the end of the first half, Miami’s offense had just 8 total yards, and much of …

The Clemson defense has been on the precipice of an extremely dominant performance all season, and in the first half against Miami, everything seemed to be working. 

At the end of the first half, Miami’s offense had just 8 total yards, and much of that had to do with the efficiency of Clemson’s run defense. The Hurricanes couldn’t seem to get the ball moving anywhere downfield and walked away with just one first down in the entire half. Even with the dual-threat nature of Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown and the talent of running back Jaylan Knighton, the team had an average of -0.5 rushing yards.

All season the defensive line has been called upon to play more consistently and that message was answered by the Tigers in the opening two quarters against the Hurricanes. 

Even with the absence of starting defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, the defensive line was a force to be reckoned with. Myles Murphy continually applied pressure to Brown and it seemed to be too much for the Hurricanes to handle after a few series of three and outs. 

Last week in the win over Louisville, the performance of the Clemson linebackers were some of the best we have seen all season and that momentum and confidence carried over in the first half against the Hurricanes. Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. came up with a huge sack deep in Miami’s territory, putting the Miami offense at just another deficit. 

Early in the second quarter, Miami was able to finally pick up a first down, but soon thereafter, Clemson safety Jalyn Phillips picked up an interception after fellow Clemson safety R.J. Mickens deflected a pass from Brown at the Miami 30-yard line. The interception set the Tigers up in prime territory on offense and displayed the complimentary football Clemson has been looking to sustain all season. 

The Tigers left the first half with a 24-0 lead and an abundance of confidence to carry over the dominant performance on defense in the second half.

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Trotter on why the defense is prepared for Miami’s dual-threat QB

With an impressive win over Louisville last Saturday, Clemson’s attention is now to the next test against Miami. The Tigers’ defense had one of its best performances of the season last week and will look to continue that level of performance against …

With an impressive win over Louisville last Saturday, Clemson’s attention is now to the next test against Miami. The Tigers’ defense had one of its best performances of the season last week and will look to continue that level of performance against a Miami offense that is still looking to find its spark.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who is quickly becoming a critical piece of Clemson’s linebacker corps, spoke to the media on Monday. The sophomore was quick to note that good preparation will be a key to success this Saturday. Despite Miami’s 5-5 record this season, Trotter shared that the defense’s mindset will be no different from any other matchup the Tigers have had so far this season.

“They have got athletes on the offense and that’s going to be a good challenge on the defense,” he said, “but I know the coaches’ game plan is going to be great and our preparation on the defensive side, and my preparation will be great to prepare me for Saturday.”

“I try to approach every opponent with the same mindset that if we don’t do what we’re going to do then we’re going to lose,” he added. “You have to approach every single game like we’re going into the National Championship game. If you don’t change that mindset, you’ll see you won’t play as well. So, we’re going to approach every game like that, and the coaches try to preach it to us as well about approaching every game like that.”

Miami starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was sidelined last week due to a shoulder injury, which meant the Hurricanes had to start a talented true freshman in Jacurri Brown.

In the win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, the dual-threat ability of Brown was on full display, which is something the Clemson defense will have to prepare to combat this weekend. Trotter noted that he believes the defense actually has an advantage, in that it has faced so many dual-threat quarterbacks at this point of the season, so he feels the Tigers will have a better grasp on what to expect and how to prepare for what Brown can bring.

“I feel like facing dual-threat quarterbacks all year helps us when we face another one, because you know how to game plan, how to prepare, but you still have to come with the right mindset,” he said. “He will cut you up, but facing quarterbacks like that all year has helped us out to keep facing them throughout the year.”