Though the 2024 season has not been over for long, the 2025 season is already approaching rapidly. The schedules have been released and we broke down who Clemson has to look forward to playing this fall. Now we continue looking ahead to what is expected to be an exciting season for the Tigers.
We have talked a little bit about the expected roster for Dabo Swinney’s 2025 squad. Now we will take a deeper dive into specific position groups and what to expect as spring practices get closer to beginning. Here we’ll look at the edge players anticipated to take the field for the Tigers in 2025.
Clemson 2025 Position Group Spotlight: Defensive Ends
Likely Starters
When talking about the best current Clemson defensive players, one of the first names mentioned is always TJ Parker. Entering his junior season Parker was named a freshman All-American in 2023 and Second-Team All-ACC after his sophomore season in 2024. In his first two seasons as a Tiger, he has 89 total tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks. Parker is one of the best defensive ends in the ACC. In 2025 he needs to make the jump to being one of the top in the country at the position. That progression will aid Clemson in elevating to a national championship contender.
Parker should get more help on the other end this season with Purdue transfer Will Heldt joining the Tigers. Heldt should become the other starting defensive end in order for Peter Woods to play inside more. Also, Swinney did not bring in one of the top edge players in the portal for him not to have an immediate impact. Heldt had 10 tackles for loss and five sacks in the Big Ten in 2024. He will continue to develop under the Tigers’ veteran defensive staff. Many of those who have seen Heldt play expect him to have a breakout junior season.
Key Rotation Players
Rotating in behind Parker and Heldt will likely be redshirt junior Jahiem Lawson and graduate senior Cade Denhoff. Lawson is the younger brother of former Clemson and current Buffalo Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson. The younger Lawson saw some significant playing time last season as a rotation piece. He finished the 2024 season with 16 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks. He has a ton of potential as he continues to grow and develop.
Denhoff is a five-year veteran on the Clemson defensive line. He was a top 100 player in the 2021 recruiting class. Though Denhoff has not been a star player, he has provided great in-game reps as part of the defensive front rotation. Denhoff had three tackles for loss, two sacks, and 16 total tackles in 2024. He will continue to be an important piece in providing depth up front.
Other Possible Impact Players
A few other players further down the depth chart who could still see chances to impact games in some way. One player many Tiger fans will be excited to see more of is Darien Mayo. He was a four-star recruit and a top-five player out of Maryland in the 2024 class. He was redshirted after playing in three games last season. Mayo is predicted to be an impactful edge rusher for Clemson shortly. That trajectory could be on display sooner rather than later.
Another young player who will have a chance to earn a spot in the rotation is freshman four-star commit Ari Watford. He was one of the top 120 players in the 2025 class who is already on campus as an early enrollee. Watford will have to work his way up the depth chart in spring practices. If he shows enough though, new defensive coordinator Tom Allen and Swinney will get him on the field.
Besides the young guys, other older redshirt players will be competing to get themselves on the field. Names such as redshirt seniors Armon Mason and Zaire Patterson. Neither player has been much of an in-game contributor to this point in their careers. Both Mason and Patterson will be fighting to earn a chance to see more playing time and add their stamp this season.
Clemson will once again have one of the best defensive fronts in the country. Depth on the edge was definitely needed this offseason though. Swinney found some great talent to add to the position group through recruiting and the portal. The added depth better shapes this team for a championship run in 2025
Main Photo: Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images
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