Clemson Defensive End Breaks Down Approach to UNC and Season Reset

After the worst start to the season in over two decades, the Clemson Tigers hit a bye week, and defensive end Will Heldt feels like it couldn’t come at a better time.

Heldt spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon about the locker room’s mindset going forward, emphasizing how focused the defense is as it heads into Chapel Hill this weekend.

“I think [the bye] came at a good time for us,” he said. “It was a good physical and mental reset. The message moving forward is we have an eight-game season and we’re just going to focus on the one in front of us, so I’m excited about that opportunity.”

The 6-foot-6 edge rusher spent his first two years at Purdue, where the team went 5-19 over that span. After a breakout season in 2024, he realized it was time to move on and entered the transfer portal.

He quickly committed to Clemson and Dabo Swinney, eager to compete at a top program and chase more success. Things haven’t unfolded exactly as he hoped, but he remains focused on the present and what’s ahead.

“Obviously, it’s not where any of us envisioned ourselves here four games in,” Heldt relayed. “But, all we can focus on is what’s in front of us if I’m being honest.”

To start the 2025 season, North Carolina sits at a 2-2 record, but the most interesting part about their team has been the signal callers. Over the off-season, Belichick and the Tar Heels acquired South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez, but he hasn’t started the year the way most hoped.

After a horrific debut by Lopez in the season-opener against TCU, quarterback Max Johnson entered in his place and finished the game with 103 passing yards and one touchdown. Since then, there’s been a relentless quarterback battle in Chapel Hill.

With two quarterbacks showing different styles and strengths, Clemson’s defense knows it has to prepare for multiple looks on Saturday. Heldt acknowledged the challenge, but emphasized the Tigers are focused on controlling what they can control.

“One’s a little bit more of a runner than the other, so I think that’s something to be cognizant of, especially from a defensive line standpoint,” he emphasized. “But I think we’re ready to go and not too worried about that; we’re more worried about what we have to do on our side.”

Even with a renewed focus after the bye week, Heldt knows that Clemson’s defense can’t rely on mindset alone.

The Tigers' defense was exposed against the Orange in their last contest, allowing 24 first-half points and allowing 433 total yards in the loss, including 154 yards on the ground through plays that involved busted coverages and missed tackles.

Heading into Saturday, early execution and fundamentals are the emphasis for this talented Clemson defense.

“I think there were some things schematically that we have to clean up,” he concluded. “We have to be cleaner, make tackles and fit our gaps right. I think getting out to a hot start this week is going to be a point of emphasis.”