Spring practice at Clemson is set to kick off next week, and there is no question that the Tigers will feature some different players up front along the defensive line.

Former five-star Peter Woods is gone, as are DeMonte Caphart and T.J. Parker. Key reserve Cade Denhoff has exhausted his eligibility.

With that in mind, the Tigers were active in the portal, adding four defensive linemen, along with signing a JUCO defensive tackle. The staff also signed three from the high school ranks during the early signing period in December. One tackle and two ends.

So, where do those guys fit in? The lone defensive tackle was three-star Kam Cody. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder was a wrecking ball in high school, racking up 82 tackles as a senior with 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

While he was likely a tad underrated by the recruiting services, Cody could be headed for a redshirt. He has a lot of players in front of him on the depth chart. Amare Adams, Champ Thompson and Hevin Brown-Shuler, along with transfer Markus Strong and JUCO signee Andy Burburija, will all factor in.

“Mount Kam, big Kam Cody,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “He is a grown man. He is a big, big get for the D-tackle room.”

The two freshmen defensive ends, JR Hardrick and Michael Foster, are likely headed towards the same fate. Will Heldt is back, and the staff went out and signed two transfers in London Merritt and CJ Wesley. Merritt was named to the All-Freshman team in the Big 12 after his one season at Colorado. Darien Mayo is entering his third year in the program, and Ari Watford could be ready to contribute after a redshirt season.

Hardrick, a three-star recruit, certainly appears to have some upside, but he looks more like a developmental guy. He won’t even enroll until the summer, and there is going to be an adjustment period seeing as he’s making the jump from 1A ball in the state of Tennessee.

“When I look at him, I think Andre Branch,” Swinney said of Hardrick. “That’s kind of what I think. That similar body type. I’m not saying he’s going to be a second-round pick – I’m just saying, out of high school, that’s how I look at him.”

Like Hardrick, Foster won’t arrive on campus until the summer. The film suggests there is a lot to like about the three-star recruit who earned Region 3-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year honors in the state of South Carolina last year, but not being on campus for spring practice hurts his chances of contributing early.

“He has an incredible motor,” Swinney said. “He is physical. He is heavy-handed. We think he is an elite pass rusher. That is really what we see him as.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright