One top defensive back prospect firmly on Clemson’s future recruiting radar is Peyton Woodyard, who hails from a California high school powerhouse that has become connected to the Tigers.
Woodyard, a talented and versatile 2024 recruit from St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) – the same school that produced Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and wide receiver Beaux Collins – traveled to Tiger Town this summer to tour the campus and facilities and compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp.
“Obviously the facilities are nice,” Woodyard said to The Clemson Insider recently, reflecting on the visit. “But definitely the coaching staff and how friendly and welcoming everyone was [stood out]. And Dabo Swinney, just the whole way he runs things over there, he runs a great team and it’s a great program you definitely want to be a part of when you’re at Clemson.”
While on campus, Woodyard spent plenty of time around the Tigers’ staff – primarily safeties coach Mickey Conn, cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and defensive coordinator Brent Venables – and impressed them with his camp performance.
The 6-foot-2, 188-pound rising sophomore is classified as a safety by 247Sports but prides himself on being a complete DB that can play all over the secondary from slot corner to free safety.
“They definitely like the way I play, how fast I am, my size and speed,” Woodyard said of the Tigers. “They were able to watch me line up at corner and inside at the slot position and guard the slot. They pretty much said if I wasn’t an incoming sophomore, I would have an offer there, and that’s why I’m really trying to show out this season and go head back up to Clemson.”
Obviously, playing at St. John Bosco, Woodyard is connected to the Uiagalelei family. He is friends with D.J.’s younger brother, 2023 five-star prospect Matayo Uiagalelei, and has had some opportunities to speak with D.J. in the past. Woodyard conversed with them when he visited Clemson in June.
As Woodyard alluded to, the Tigers refrain from offering sophomores, per Swinney’s policy. But he is certainly a candidate for an offer from Clemson in the future and envisions the Tigers being a major factor in his recruitment moving forward.
“It would mean a lot to me,” he said of a potential Clemson offer, “and I could see Clemson, Dabo playing a big role in my recruitment process. It’d just be a great offer to have.”
Woodyard hopes to return to Clemson next spring or summer. Along with Clemson, he visited Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Southern Cal and UCLA this summer.
Woodyard’s list of more than a dozen offers includes Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Southern Cal among others.
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