Clemson DL Peter Woods Takes Accountability of Defensive Slow Start

Across the roster for the Clemson Tigers, there have been a handful of players who are still looking to get going to begin 2025. 

While defensive lineman Peter Woods continues to be a matchup nightmare for offensive lines, he still isn’t having the star he desired. The junior spoke to the media last week about taking accountability for the team’s 1-3 start. 

Even if Woods had incredible numbers on the defensive line, the three losses will take away its importance. 

“If I came here and I was talking to y’all with 10 sacks and 15 TFLs, we are still 1-3,” Woods said, “and I’m still going to come in here and tell you that I have to get better every day and I have got to do better for my team. So, that’s just my mindset with that.”

In his sophomore season, switching between defensive tackle and defensive end, the Alabaster, Alabama, native recorded 8.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks. Woods has expectations of a first-round NFL Draft pick next season, even being seen in multiple top 10s across preseason mock drafts. 

It’s been the leadership that has grown within the junior, looking to lead his group to turn the season around after this weekend’s open date. 

“One thing that doesn’t vary is hard work, dedication, and then a response,” Woods said, “and so like I said, if I was in here and I had the stats that y’all had written down for me, whatever you had in your head, we’re still 1-3.”

His standout teammate, T.J. Parker, is having a similar season to Woods in terms of impact. The fellow junior has two sacks and two tackles for a loss. Woods believes that Parker knows what needs to change to make a larger change in the defensive unit. 

“I have to get better, and I take full accountability for that,” the defensive tackle said. “I’m sure TJ would stay the same.” 

The Clemson defense saw cracks following a 34-21 loss against the Syracuse Orange at home. The Tigers gave up 24 points in the first half and over 150 rushing yards in the loss. 

Woods believes that all of the issues are fixable, and it will be a point of emphasis during this extended break. 

“Just the little things, just like gap integrity, just misfits, stuff that’s easily fixable that we’re looking at this week to correct,” he said. 

The Tigers will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to play the Tar Heels on Oct. 4, and Woods says that the team is working on its mindset. The team leader will look to instill confidence while working on his game. 

“I think right now it’s just a lot of trying to get better personally as a player and trying to influence that mindset on everybody else on the team,” Woods said. “We’ll start to sprinkle some UNC stuff in throughout the week because we got an extra week to prepare.”