Dabo Swinney shares which young players have stood out during Clemson camp

Clemson is in the middle of preseason camp as preparation for the 2023 season is well underway. Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney joined the ACC Network on Friday from the practice field to discuss how fall camp is going thus far.

One of the questions Swinney was asked was about which young players have stood out. He had a long list of guys ready to go, starting with the defensive line.

“TJ Parker, Peter Woods – y’all have probably heard a lot about him,” Swinney said.

Clemson signed arguably the top defensive line class in the country for 2023, led by Woods, who was the No. 19 overall player in the country in the 2023 On3 Industry rankings. Parker was the second-highest-ranked player in the class at No. 54 overall.

“I’m really excited about all of those young guys we have inside – Woods, [Vic] Burley, Stephiylan [Green], they’re all showing up,” Swinney said. “[AJ] Hoffler just got here. That kid David Ojiegbe looks like a guy in an NFL camp right now – just got here. The first time I’ve been able to put my eyes on him.”

Woods, Burley, Green and Parker were all on campus for spring practice, while Hoffler and Ojiegbe just arrived this summer. It’s safe to say they’re already impressing. Swinney continued with more freshmen who have stood out.

“I’m super excited about those young DBs. Avieon Terrell – A.J.’s little brother. Shelton Lewis, [Branden] Strozier,” Swinney said. “I mean it’s just a really good group of young talent. There’s nobody I’m disappointed in.”

As for the offensive side of the ball, Swinney mentioned three offensive linemen who have caught his eye.

“Then on the offensive side, Harris Sewell, big flapjack (Zack Owens) and my man Ian Reed,” Swinney said. “We’ve got three good young offensive linemen in here that have got a lot of great days ahead of them as Tigers.”

Clemson defender ready for breakout year: ‘He can do anything’

Another young player Swinney is excited about is sophomore linebacker Wade Woodaz.

Clemson linebackers Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are getting most of the attention ahead of the 2023 season. The rising juniors are widely regarded as two of the top linebackers in the country and for good reason.

However, while Woodaz isn’t as well known, the versatile defender has gained the trust of Dabo Swinney and the rest of the Tigers’ coaching staff.

“That guy, he can do anything,” Swinney said. “We’ll use him in a lot of ways. He’s our big Sam [linebacker]. But he can play Mike and Will. He gives us some depth there. And you’ll see him there. But we can also use him as a hybrid guy as we need to. He can play safety. That kid can run, man.”