Tag: Clemson defensive line

Clemson Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 3 Xavier Thomas

Heading into the 2022 season, fifth-year defensive end Xavier Thomas could be primed for his best year as a Tiger.

Heading into the 2022 season, ClemsonWire will look at multiple players on the Clemson football roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school and what role they will play for head coach Dabo Swinney this season.

With the top two quarterbacks already covered, we will now be switching to the defense and looking at defensive end Xavier Thomas.

Entering his fifth season with the program, Thomas has been one of the Tigers’ most consistent pass rushers during his tenure and will be a valuable asset for defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.

Here’s a snapshot look at Thomas.

Top-25 defensive line recruit names Clemson as finalist

A five-star recruit in the class of 2023 has put the Tigers in his final four.

Many highly sought-after defensive linemen recruits have chosen Clemson to be their home, and a top-25 recruit in the class of 2023 may be joining that group.

According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods has narrowed down his potential school list to Clemson, Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma. Woods is ranked as the No. 22 recruit in the nation and the No. 4 defensive lineman, according to On3 Consensus.

Poised to be a defensive tackle in college, Woods is a 6-foot-4 265 pounder from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala. He finished his junior season with 11 sacks, 92 tackles and 26 tackles for loss while playing on the inside and the edge.

If Woods chooses Clemson as his school, the Tigers will gain a potential immediate-impact player along a defensive line that could lose all of its starters after next season. Both Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis will likely move on to the NFL, creating an opening for Woods to become a wrecking ball for the Tigers’ defense.

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Swinney, Bresee have high expectations for D-Line

Following Monday’s practice at the practice fields behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex, Dabo Swinney said he would be disappointed if the depth of Clemson’s defensive line fails to benefit the team this season. “I’ll be disappointed if it’s not …

Following Monday’s practice at the practice fields behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex, Dabo Swinney said he would be disappointed if the depth of Clemson’s defensive line fails to benefit the team this season.

“I’ll be disappointed if it’s not because those guys have been young the last couple of years,” Swinney said. “Last year we could have been more of a veteran group, but Foster was out and (Xavier Thomas) was in and out and not the best version of himself. Myles (Murphy) was a true freshman.”

Lack of depth proved a hindrance for the Tigers last season, particularly in the season finale. But early in camp, the defensive line looks to be a seasoned unit rich with talent.

Clemson has five experienced defensive ends returning in Thomas, Justin Foster, K.J. Henry, Justin Mascoll and Murphy. On the interior line, it returns highly touted tackles in Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis along with Tré Willimas, Ruke Ohorhoro and Darnell Jeffries behind them.

“But this group right here and where they are right now in every aspect, I’ll be very disappointed if they don’t play like I know they can,” Swinney said of the unit. “They’ve got the experience, they’re in great shape, you’ve got the kind of depth that you want, and they understand the run scheme and the pass scheme.”

Bresee noted that at times last season depth was an issue, not because the defensive line was worn down but because it was hard to stay fresh throughout the game. But this camp has a completely different feel for the sophomore tackle compared to his first fall camp.

“From last year definitely. It was tough at times last year being three or four deep, it can be tough,” Bresee said. “So definitely just seeing it and everybody is getting it now and starting to understand everything and seeing guys come along is really cool to see.”

He’s excited to get on the field and showcase what he thinks possesses the potential to cement itself as the best d-line in the nation.

“It can be huge, and it can be everything. Just keeping guys fresh and ready to go on the field is going to be a huge advantage for us,” he said.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Notebook: Day 3 observations from Clemson’s defense

Clemson returned to the practice fields behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex on Monday for Day 3 of fall camp. The Tigers practiced in helmets and small shoulder pads and allowed the media to view six periods of practice for close to an hour. …

Clemson returned to the practice fields behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex on Monday for Day 3 of fall camp.

The Tigers practiced in helmets and small shoulder pads and allowed the media to view six periods of practice for close to an hour.

Here are The Clemson Insider’s observations of the Clemson defense from Monday’s practice.

  • A few defenders were limited in the practice due to injuries but there were no changes from previous days. DeMonte Capehart was still in yellow and was even limited during team calisthenics. Payton Page and Etinosa Reuben remained in green which allowed them to participate in individual drills without contact.
  • New York Mets hall of fame Darryl Strawberry attended Monday’s practice to observe the Tigers. Strawberry serves as a Christian speaker in his retirement from professional baseball.

Defensive Line

  • Justin Foster demonstrated his leadership on the team as he lead the team in “Tiger jacks” during the stretching period. He has also showed his leadership during individual drills on the defensive line.
  • Todd Bates continued to show several different combinations on the defensive line during the position group’s installation period during practice. The depth in the room continues to stand out during practice particularly at defensive end. K.J. Henry, Justin Mascoll, Xavier Thomas and Myles Murphy all repped with the first unit at end.
  • During all of the looks the group showed, two student-athletes unsurprisingly stood out as common denominators among the first group. Tyler Davis and Bryan Bresee always took reps with the first team at defensive tackle.

Linebackers

  • Defensive coordinator Brent Venables tends to ride one particular linebacker harder during linebacker drills, his son Jake Venables. Jake was back to full capacity after wearing a green jersey on Friday and Saturday.
  • Sixth-year middle linebacker James Skalski’s passion and intensity set the tone throughout the position group’s individual periods. He continued to serve as a leader in the unit and run the first rep in every drill with Baylon Spector.
  • Barrett Carter looks like he belongs despite his status as a freshman  in an experienced room. He did receive a little extra coaching from Venables in the drills but received it well and was quick to correct any errors.
  • There was one funny moment during the individual period as Venables walked the backers through a drill where they practiced shedding blocks and fitting up on a running back. A manager served as the running back and carried a shield dummy. Venables noticed his linebackers hitting the shield lightly and said, “I don’t care who is carrying the back pick them up, explode through the ball carrier.” The next linebacker picked the manager three feet off the ground.

Secondary

  • Andrew Booth took all of the first reps at corner and continues to emerge as a leader amongst the cornerbacks.
  • Freshman corner Nate Wiggins looked much more comfortable at practice on Monday than when he first arrived this past weekend.
  • Sheridan Jones and Mario Goodrich received correction from cornerbacks coach Mike Reed during an open field tackling drill. Both responded well and were complimented by Reed on their next drill.
  • Nolan Turner and Landen Zanders stepped up first for all of the safety drills during practice.
  • Sophomore R.J. Mickens stepped out of the safety drills for a couple of minutes to have his ankle taped but did not seem to lose any momentum when he returned to practice.
  • Former Clemson player Elijah Turner is on staff as a graduate assistant and has a lot of responsibility with the nickel backs during practice. He took Trenton Simpson, Tyler Venables, Barrett Carter, Malcom Greene and Matthew Maloney to a different spot during the second period of individual drills to work on pass defense.
  • During that period Venables made a nice play on a ball and tipped it up to himself to pull down an interception.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!