Peter Woods says complacency isn't in DNA, ready to show out at new position

Peter Woods says complacency isn't in his vocabulary.

by Brooks Thomason - Correspondent - Wed Mar 06 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON - Peter Woods wants to be one of the best in the country for his second season.

In Dabo Swinney’s opening press conference last week, he mentioned the 2023 Freshman All-American making the change to defensive end for the 2024 season. Coming out of high school, Woods played the interior and defensive edge.

Woods is ready for the change in college but is confident in the defensive line as a unit.

“Primarily, that’s where I’m lined up for the most part; we got some dawgs across the whole line, so wherever I’m needed is where I’m going to play as long as it’s on that line," Woods said, and he described the defensive line as a candy shop, “not knowing what (candy) to pick.”

The rising sophomore defensive lineman created several opportunities for himself lined up on the interior last year. Listed at 6’2, 315 pounds, Woods totaled 27 tackles, two for loss, and a forced fumble while only starting two games on the defensive line. He was explosive off the line at a bigger size than his usual weight.

Switching positions means Woods has to become more explosive off the line, with speed and versatility. He’s aiming to slim down to 285-290 pounds, which was his listed weight in high school. Peter emphasized the importance of discipline in his nutrition.

“Cardio, diet, rest, a lot of things that play into it, but ultimately it’s just being disciplined with all that stuff,” Woods said.

Woods was recognized by multiple publications for his contributions on the defensive line last season, including 247Sports, On3, PFF, and the College Football Network. Woods put it simply on how he looks to improve.

“To be better than last year…be the defensive leader, telling guys what to expect but also taking the things that I’ve done and applying it.” When asked about not being complacent after his freshman season, he said, “It’s not in me… it’s not in my vocabulary.”

Speaking about last season, when questioned about an “underwhelming season” in terms of Clemson football standards, Woods took the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of last season.

“There’s a lot of things you can fix and learn from watching the tape and just watching some of the things we did last year that we could’ve done better…there’s so much we learned, and we are already starting to apply,” Woods said. “I pride myself on doing my job, and that's what it consists of…usually when you do your job, you make the plays that come to you…it doesn’t bother me when people say 2.5 TFLs, no sacks, but when you turn on the tape, it's there.”