Clemson DL Peter Woods Talks Recruiting Journey, Reflects on Success

The Alabama native looked back on choosing to join the Clemson Tigers despite his childhood allegiances to in-state programs

The Clemson DL had an unusual path to this point | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Clemson Tigers junior Peter Woods is one of the most highly-touted defensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft class, and has cracked the top 10 in just about every recent NFL mock draft.

He continues in the footsteps of legendary defensive linemen like Christian Wilkins, Michael Dean Perry, and Vic Beasley, just to name a few, who also pipelined through Clemson over the last few decades.

However, his road to being a Tiger wasn’t a normal one.

Woods hails from Alabaster, Ala., an expanding suburb just south of Birmingham, only about an hour away from Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, one of the nation’s most prominent breeding grounds of NFL talent. Therefore, he grew up in the heart of Iron Bowl country, which he was fully immersed in throughout grade school.

The former five-star talked about his upbringing at ACC Kickoff on Thursday and revealed how the appeal to Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney overtook his previous ties and experiences as a kid.

“I guess it’s really no secret I grew up an Alabama fan – Alabama-Auburn [rivalry] – in Alabama my whole life,” Woods said to the media last week. “It was just something, a feeling on me that I couldn’t pass up to come play for Coach Swinney. I believed in him. I believed in his vision. I believed in the guys that I came in with, and it’s just been special from there.”

On3 ranked Woods as the No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 19 overall player in the 2023 cycle out of high school. He joined fellow now-Tigers defensive end T.J. Parker and quarterback Christopher Vizzina as the only top-10 prospects from the state of Alabama in their class to sign with Clemson.

Woods led Thompson H.S. (AL) to four consecutive 7A State Championships (2019-22), making the Warriors the first Alabama school to win four straight state titles since Hoover (AL) in the early 2000s.

The 2022 Alabama Player of the Year and MaxPreps First-Team All-American racked up a 50-5 overall record over his four seasons, securing a spot as one of the most decorated players to ever wear a Thompson jersey.

Some former recruits often express how they “knew” their respective school was the perfect fit as soon as they visited, stepped on campus, etc. Contrarily, Woods expressed how his decision wasn’t as immediate as others, but describes Clemson’s unique nature and culture that steered him to commit.

“I didn’t really know that I was coming to Clemson until the day that I committed, to be honest,” Woods said. “It was just kind of, like, an overwhelming feeling that you just kind of get when you’re in the building and around the people.”

“It’s just something that I always tell people – to even understand, you’ve got to go see it for yourself, to be honest,” Woods added. “It’s truly special.”

Fast-forward two years, and Woods is now a projected 2026 NFL Draft lottery pick and is listed as Pro Football Focus’s top returning interior defensive lineman in the country this season. 

Additionally, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller says it’s “Woods against the field,” adding that he is expected to go “wire to wire” as the nation’s top defensive tackle prospect.

The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder split time between the edge and the interior last season, recording 26 tackles (18 solo), 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble. Woods earned an impressive 83.3 PFF grade in 2024 and ranks as the highest-graded returning Power Four defensive tackle, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric.

Woods also proved himself to be an elite run defender, as he leads all returning Power Four interior defenders with an 89.7 run-defense grade.

He is undoubtedly primed for a monstrous junior campaign and is surrounded by loads of NFL talent on both sides of the football. With Parker accompanying him in the trenches and senior quarterback Cade Klubnik under center for the Tigers, Clemson has enough weapons all over the field to make a run for the national championship.

As the Tigers look forward to a potentially historic season, Woods reflects on the journey he, Parker and Klubnik have navigated together and is reassured that Clemson was always the right choice.

“I think the biggest thing for me was just coming in and me and Cade and T.J., Cade’s first year starting was me and T.J.'s first year playing. Now, we’re here looking at our third year being kind of like the starters, and we’ve been together this whole time,” Woods said. “I think that kind of solidifies the decision I made, knowing that I came to a place that’s about family and principles and just sticking together.”