How Clemson Tigers Replace Wade Woodaz After Being Drafted by Houston Texans

The Clemson Tigers saw their seventh player be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, with the Houston Texans choosing linebacker Wade Woodaz with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round. He will now be reunited with his former teammate Xavier Thomas.

“Wade checks every single box of an elite NFL linebacker,” Clemson linebackers coach Ben Boulware said. “Size, speed, football intelligence, leadership, etc. His best quality though? Dude’s a dog.”

Open up a can in H-Town.

Wade Woodaz, welcome to the @HoustonTexans!#ALLIN | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/jKy0Dk3cdX
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 25, 2026

The Tampa, Florida native arrived at Clemson in 2022 with modest expectations. A three-star prospect who had primarily played safety in high school, Woodaz ranked 51st at his position, though On3 did peg him as a top-500 overall recruit and a top-50 linebacker.

As a true freshman, Woodaz played sparingly but impressed in the time he did get on the field, tallying 20 tackles, 5.5 for a loss, three pass deflections, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble across 14 game appearances.

The 6-foot-4 hybrid backer would continue his rise in 2023, showcasing his immense versatility and earning a starting spot at Will in the latter half of the season. He finished the year with 28 tackles, six for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions, including a pick-six.

His true breakout year would come in 2024 following the departure of star linebacker Barrett Carter. Starting at middle linebacker for a majority of the season, Woodaz did a little bit of everything, totaling career highs of 83 tackles, 10 for a loss, five pass deflections, three sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception across 700+ defensive snaps.

Entering 2025, the program and Woodaz were expected to have a killer year, but things turned sour quickly.

The senior was often seen taking the wrong tackle angles — purely missing some as a whole — and didn’t look the same in coverage, as he finished the year with nearly 100 more passing yards allowed (281) than the previous (180). He finished with numbers down all across the board, totaling 70 tackles, seven for a loss, half a sack and three pass deflections.

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Woodaz wasn’t on any mock drafts and outlets had him listed as an undrafted free agent. Nevertheless, Texans head coach Demeco Ryans sees something in the versatile linebacker that warranted taking him with a top-130 pick.

Through his first three seasons, Woodaz exceeded the majority of expectations, developing from a rotational freshman into one of Clemson's most indispensable defensive pieces. His senior year, however, muddied the picture a bit.

The next man up has important shoes to fill, but all should be well as junior Sammy Brown, who earned First-team All-ACC honors in 2025, will step into Woodaz’s former role.

The 6-foot-2 linebacker has impressed since joining Clemson as a five-star recruit in 2024, earning a starting spot halfway through his true freshman season in addition to logging 80 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, five sacks and three pass deflections en route to earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

This past season, Brown operated as a full-time starter alongside Woodaz and was arguably the best player on Clemson’s entire defense, showcasing just how much he can do in coverage and against the run. He finished the year with a team-high 106 tackles (third-most in the ACC), 13.5 for a loss, five sacks, five pass deflections, one forced fumble and one interception.

Outside of Brown, though, the depth gets a little shaky. Initially, Clemson added Cal transfer Luke Ferrelli — who earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025 — to create a young and elite tandem of linebackers. However, we all know how that saga finished.

With Ferrelli ultimately choosing to flip to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers had nowhere else to look except internally, leaving the other starting spot to most likely be fifth-year Kobe McCloud, who came in rotationally for Woodaz and Brown last season.

While Brown has undeniable talent, it’s uncertain how well the entire group will produce as McCloud has barely seen playing time over the past four years, similar to a handful of other depth pieces in the position group.

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