Clemson football: Five defensive players who could have breakout seasons

It isn’t just Clemson football and Clemson media who think the Tigers defense can be special in 2022. The national media has been high on the unit’s potential this season as well.

Several Clemson players have been acknowledged nationally as possible All-Americans and high NFL draft picks, but some other players have flown under the radar.

When you look at the rosters from last year and this year, it is easy to see why some of these players haven’t had the opportunity to shine. The depth chart is stocked with top notch talent. Highly-rated players simply haven’t been able to grab a lot of snaps as freshmen and sophomores because of talented upper classmen ahead of them. Sometimes injuries have been a factor.

A couple other variables factor into this too. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the NCAA allowing players to stay at the college level and extra season, declaring that 2020 didn’t count towards eligibility. This is what allowed Xavier Thomas to return in 2022.

Some players in the last few years have decided to return to Clemson to improve their draft stock rather than leave early for the NFL, such as Christian Wilkins and Travis Etienne. Tyler Davis and K.J. Henry could have left for the draft, but elected to return this season.

With the turnover on the staff this offseason, there will be change coming with new coaching styles and strategies. With that come new opportunities.

Here are five defensive players who could have a breakout season in 2022.

1. Barrett Carter

Carter was one of the prize recruits of the 2021 Class. He was a prospect that profiled ideally for the SAM (strong-side linebacker) position, where Isaiah Simmons blossomed in his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons. He saw the field immediately as a freshman, even though he had Trenton Simpson ahead of him on the depth chart at SAM.

This season, we have heard that Simpson, who is considered a likely early-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, has been working at both the MIKE (middle linebacker) and the WILL (weak-side linebacker). Part of this is to give Simpson extra knowledge and versatility of positions.

The other reason is because the Tigers see the value in getting Carter on the field. He is an elite athlete. He shows the ability to grow into the hybrid SAM-safety-nickel role that Simmons played at Clemson.

When we talk about the offensive line, we often hear the insiders talk about finding the best five players, regardless of position. New defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin is attempting to do the same thing this season with the linebackers: find the best three players and figure out how to get them on the field.

Fortunately for Goodwin, he has a lot of options and depth this season. That means he has flexibility across the board, but it appears that getting Carter on the field at SAM is a priority.