CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney made a classic move Thursday, heading out to Jervey Meadows for the sixth day of Clemson football’s fall camp. This also marked the first day of full pads for the team. The rain didn’t shy away the Tigers, and here’s all the notes on the defensive side, including a ton of pass rush success.
-Tre Williams is still in a yellow jersey, only participating in individual drills. He’s had the yellow on since the start of camp.
-Stephiylan Green was wearing green earlier in camp, but it appears he’s good to go as the freshman donned No. 90 on the field in orange and white.
-Nick Eason looks like he could still play, and he practically did on Day 6. He came out to practice in full pads, gloves and a helmet. Clearly animated with the defensive tackles and excited to be outside in some rainy football weather.
-During tempo drills, Cade Denhoff had the first-team reps on the edge. The redshirt sophomore has 20 snaps in his career, but got to take on the first-team offensive line Thursday.
-The Peter Woods show is alive and well, and he came in for the second-team tempo reps. On the first play, he bulldozed through the middle for a sack on Paul Tyson. Expectations are high for the freshman, and his flashes in practice bode well for him to live up to it. Dabo Swinney was loud and clear with the praise after Woods’ sack as well.
-A few plays later, another freshman came in for the third-team and got a sack of his own. A.J. Hoffler was standup defensive end, an imposing figure at 6-foot-5, and used his length to get in the backfield for a sack. Pass rush at a premium in the rain.
-Redshirt freshman Fletcher Cothran lurked at linebacker in the third-team reps and was inches from an interception. He disguised himself well and still ended up with a pass breakup on the play, but he wanted the pick.
-R.J. Mickens looked smooth during individual drills and it’s even more important considering he lined up at safety next to Jalyn Phillips in the tempo drills for the first-team. There was a lot more to gather from this though.
-Dabo Swinney said Clemson will continue to base out of the 4-3, but 4-2-5 was the popular formation Thursday. An interesting part of this was Andrew Mukuba moved out of the safety role for Mickens, and stepped up into the nickel SAM role, playing as a linebacker during his reps in tempo. He looked comfortable in the role, and it gives the Tigers a lot of versatility at the second level.
-The nickel SAM role was taken over by redshirt freshman Kylon Griffin in the second unit. With two star linebackers, this 4-2-5 set with an extra defensive back in the box feels very comfortable for the unit and Griffin is another cog in that machine.
-Working with the cornerbacks, Mike Reed was leading multiple drills with an emphasis on breaking to the ball. Whether it be shuffling back and then kicking it into gear or doing full turns, Reed was driving for his unit to gap close, which can turn into either a stop or an interception running all the way back,
-The defensive line was doing extra work with some rip drills. Considering the strength of players like Xavier Thomas and Tyler Davis, it’s a perfect counter for when offensive linemen are forced to compensate for the power headed their way.
-Justin Mascoll goes through drills like an animal, and he was ferocious during the rip drills. That’s what Lemanski Hall talked about at the 2023 Clemson Media Outing, and he expects that effort to turn into big plays for him in his final year.
-Xavier Thomas is always giving the unit teach tape to watch. He just goes about his business and looks smooth in every rep during practice. We all know it’s a big year for him, and he’s taking all the necessary steps.
-Freshman T.J. Parker is just having fun. Seeing a mix of first and second-team reps, he looks the part and it’s a great sign for Clemson’s pass rush to have him as an extra option this early.