CLEMSON — Clemson will be without eight starters from the South Carolina game when it takes on Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl a week from Saturday at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The Tigers, of course, will be without defensive tackle Peter Woods, defensive end T.J. Parker, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart, cornerback Avieon Terrell, safety Khalil Barnes and linebacker Wade Woodaz on defense. On offense they will be without wide receiver Antonio Williams and left guard Collin Sadler.

“We are locked in. We are not worried about who opted out. We are focused on who opted in,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Woods, Parker, Terrell, Capehart and Williams opted not to play in the Pinstripe Bowl and have decided to instead focus on April’s NFL Draft, while Barnes is leaving the team and will enter the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2

Woodaz and Sadler both had shoulder surgery and will be unavailable to play in the game.

In all, counting injuries from the regular season and those that have entered the transfer portal, Clemson will be without 26 scholarship players, including 17 thanks to injuries, when it travels to New York City.

“We are focused on who opted in and who is finishing this game with us,” Swinney said.

Clemson is not alone.

Though it is not as in bad of shape as the Tigers, Penn State will also be without several key players in the game. Four of its starters have officially opted out.

Those four are safety Zakee Wheatley, defensive tackle Zane Durant, running back Nick Singleton, and offensive guard Vega Ioane. Junior cornerback Elliot Washington II and freshman edge rusher Chaz Coleman have also announced plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January and will not play in the game.

Singleton leaving is a blow to the offense, as he was the second part of a rushing offense that was running over people in the back half of the season. The senior twice ran for over 1,000 yards in his career, and in 2025, he ran for 549 yards and 13 TDs, while catching 24 passes for 219 yards and another score.

Though the Nittany Lions do not have as many opt outs as Clemson does at the moment, that could change. Smith said he expects there to be a few more opt outs before the game kicks off next Saturday.

He said he has not placed a deadline on when players can opt out.

“We live in a world of NIL, the transfer portal. Players come and go,” he said. “We just cross bridges as they come. So, we’ll just manage it as it is and keep progressing, and, like I said, we’re going to put together the best team going forward for the bowl game, and we’re going to play hard.”

It should make for an interesting game.