CLEMSON — From the first snap of Saturday's spring game, it was clear that Clemson football's defensive line will be a force in 2024.
The Orange and White lines recorded nine sacks, 15 lost tackles, three pass breakups and one interception, courtesy of Jaheim Lawson. To avoid injury to the quarterback, Clemson University coach Dabo Swinney gave the quarterback non-contact status and blew the sack whistle as soon as a defender came within arm's length of the quarterback.
When asked how to improve the offensive line's performance, Swinney was quick to offer a solution.
“Well, we're going to get the team together, and that's going to help,” Swinney quipped. “If you know you're good defensively, that's one of the things you look for when you split a team.”
Despite not bringing back all of the defensive line starters from 2023, including Xavier Thomas, Luke Oruholo, Tyler Davis, and Justin Mascoll, the Tigers' coaches and players were unable to return due to the NFL Draft and eligibility deadline. have been vocal about the depth of the defensive line during spring practice.
The Tigers have always had the talent to produce standout defensive line talent under Swinney, especially Christian Wilkins, Vic Beasley, Myles Murphy and Dexter Lawrence. Saturday's game showed why. Both defensive lines dominated and controlled the line of scrimmage, with the White team allowing 1.6 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts and the Orange team allowing an average of 2.4 yards per carry on 25 carries.
Peter Woods, who missed Saturday due to mononucleosis, and Caden Storey, who moved from defensive tackle to defensive end, allowed other players to step up. Peyton Page, Tre Williams, Steffilan Green and Demonte Capehart are among the players who saw an increase in snaps, with Green showing improvement with four sacks on Saturday. Last season, he redshirted and played just 13 defensive snaps in two games.
“It gave us a lot more space in the (defensive) tackle room, so we had more time to come in and make plays,” Green said.
At the defensive end, Cade Denhoff, AJ Hoffler and Lawson showed flashes off the edge, each recording at least two tackles for loss. Each player contributed in rush defense and put quality pressure on the quarterback.
Is the QB battle starting now?Based on Clemson football's spring game, who will be Trent Pearman's backup QB in 2024?
These performances came despite a quiet game from 2023 standout TJ Parker. The defensive end room has made strides this spring, with its members becoming more familiar with their roles and techniques.
“We've made good progress,” Swinney said. “We still have a lot of work to do this summer. (Defensive line coach) Chris (Rumph) has done a great job with these guys.”
Last year, Clemson tied for first in the nation in defensive touchdowns, ranked second in the FBS in first down defense and eighth in total defense. Still, he recorded only 95 tackles and 32 sacks, which ranked him sixth in the ACC. Both totals are also the Tigers' lowest in the past five years.
In addition to replacing the players who left, this expansive Tigers defensive line aims to return to normalcy in 2024, and Saturday's performance was the first step in that direction.
“(Fans) should expect something big,” Green said. “The defense will stack up.”
Derian Carter covers Clemson Athletics for The Greenville News and USA TODAY Network. Email dcarter@gannett.com and follow X (previously known as Twitter) @DerrianCarter00.
