While game reps at defensive end have gone almost exclusively to Clemson’s talented veterans in recent years, Cade Denhoff and Zaire Patterson have been patiently waiting.
The time could finally be now for the Tigers’ young edge defenders.
Denhoff and Patterson signed with Clemson during the 2021 recruiting cycle, but the former four-star prospects haven’t seen the field much at one of the deepest positions on the Tigers’ roster. With a collection of talent and experience ahead of them on the depth chart, including projected first-round pick Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry, both players redshirted as true freshmen.
Denhoff has played just 20 defensive snaps in seven games. The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder has one tackle to his name so far. The 6-5, 260-pound Patterson made his Clemson debut during that 2021 season in mop-up duty against UConn but hasn’t played since.
But Murphy and Henry have moved on to the NFL, and more of that seasoned depth has thinned out at the position through other players either exhausting their eligibility or transferring. Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll are still around as sixth-year vets projected to replace Murphy and Henry as starters, but for the first time in their college careers, Denhoff and Patterson have an opportunity to be a significant part of the edge rotation in 2023.
“We’re looking forward to that,” defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall said during Clemson’s National Signing Day show earlier this month. “You’ve got guys that sit around and are waiting for that chance. Now they get a chance to do it. I’m excited to see them.”
They’re not the only ones.
As a fifth-year player, Gregg Williams has been around a while, but he’s also been buried on the depth chart. The Swansea native has played in 19 games for the Tigers but will get his chance in the spring to start earning more consistent playing time.
Hall also mentioned redshirt freshman Jaheim Lawson and third-year sophomore Armon Mason as potential contributors next season. Mason, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2021, appeared in six games as a reserve this past season.
“They’re all going to get an opportunity to have a great spring and contribute to this team,” Hall said.
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