1. TJ Dudley
Clemson football’s Class of 2023 appears to have a solid mix of players. It looks like about half a dozen freshmen are very likely to redshirt. There are upwards of nine players who have impressed in camp and are probably going to play more than four games, eliminating the possibility that they could redshirt.
The balance of the class is a mystery: they are somewhere in between right now. It was assumed that some of them would probably redshirt, but reasons have come up which indicate they might be regular participants this season.
Reason #1: Injuries are unpredictable. Unexpected injuries open up the possibility of more playing time for younger players who might otherwise be reserves. TJ Dudley fits into this first category.
Clemson conversed with Dudley (crouching in the photo above) early in the recruitment cycle for 2022, but initially they weren’t a fit. Dudley verbally committed to the Oregon Ducks in June 2021. Clemson found another linebacker recruit they liked, and it seemed like that ship had sailed.
Then the coaching carousel started turning. Brent Venables was offered the head coaching job at Oklahoma, and he couldn’t say no. Clemson’s linebacker recruit was a huge fan of Venables, and he decided to flip to Oklahoma.
Then Oregon saw a change at the head coaching position when Mario Cristobal decided to take the same position at Miami. Dudley announced that he was re-opening his recruitment, and Clemson began conversing with him again.
Dudley verbally committed to Clemson in early February 2022, which meant he wasn’t a candidate to enroll early. As such, he didn’t report until summer.
Clemson has a good amount of talent in the linebacker room in 2022. They can easily fill the two deep with veteran players. Injuries are always a concern, and it just takes a couple before a guy like Dudley is needed in the rotation.
I suspect the decision on Dudley’s role in 2022 is ‘to be determined’. If Clemson has good fortune with injuries at linebacker, I think Dudley is probably going to be redshirted, but I also think he will see action in all four games he can play during the season.
Keith Adams Jr.
Clemson had several legacy recruits in the 2022 cycle. Veteran fans know the name Keith Adams. He was a dominant linebacker for the Tigers in the late 1990’s. Two-time first-team All-American in 1999 & 2000. ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, the runner-up in 2000. A finalist for Butkus & Bednarik Awards. He is one of the most decorated defensive players in school history.
Keith Adams Jr. could not possibly live up to his father’s reputation….because he plays running back.
As one of those veteran Clemson fans, I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around someone named Keith Adams playing offense. I guess the younger fans are luckier in this case.
Like Dudley, Adams was signed during the traditional signing period in February, and thus was not able to enroll early. The Tigers have three running backs with a year of experience under their belts: Will Shipley, Kobe Pace & Phil Mafah. If fortune smiles on the Tigers and they avoid major injuries, those three will carry the bulk of the load in 2022.
If injuries occur and any of the top three backs miss time, that meant Adams would need to be ready in case his number was called. Due to that potential need, it was 50-50 whether Adams would play more than four games this season.
With the emergence of former walk-on running back Dominique Thomas (AKA Quadzilla), who is likely going to be fourth in line on the depth chart, I am leaning strongly towards Adams redshirting in 2022, but it is hardly written in stone.
Josh Sapp
Another reason a freshman might avoid a redshirt is special teams. Even if a player has a lot of depth in front of them at their regular position, they might prove valuable as a player on punt or kick coverages.
Josh Sapp is another legacy recruit. His father, Patrick, played both quarterback and linebacker for the Tigers in the 1990’s. Though he only had a year of college experience on defense, he was drafted in 1996 and played five seasons in the NFL and the original XFL.
Josh played high school football at Greenville High School, where he was a teammate of fellow signee Collin Sadler. Sapp helped the Red Raiders advance to their first Upper State title game.
Sapp is a tight end, and he has Clemson in his blood. While Clemson talked to highly ranked prospects at the tight end position, Sapp was patient and waited for his opportunity. When Clemson zeroed in on him as their tight end take for 2022, he committed to Clemson in October 2021.
The Tigers have four veteran players returning for the 2022 season. Davis Allen is the starter, and Jake Briningstool is expected to see considerable action. Sage Ennis & Luke Price are there to spell the top two. Given that depth, I think most people saw Sapp as an automatic redshirt, and it might still be most likely that he will play in his four games and shut it down for the season.
The one reason to question that assumption: special teams. The chatter coming from camp is that Sapp has done well on special teams, and that might put him in the discussion for regular playing time. It also might come into Clemson’s thinking when putting together travel squads. If they are deciding between Sapp and another tight end, and Sapp plays a role on special teams, he might get the nod over the other option.
Jackson Smith & Robert Gunn III
Smith & Gunn are the two dedicated special teams players from the 2022 Class. Smith was brought in to punt, and Gunn to kick. Both are redshirt candidates, but there are circumstances under which either could be called upon early.
Gunn is the most likely to redshirt this season. He suffered an ACL injury during his senior season of high school football that required surgery. He appears well on the way to a full recovery and was kicking 60 yard field goals without a brace back in June.
Smith has been a little more of a mystery during camp this season because the Tigers have to find a new starting punter. Smith may be a true freshman, but he’s been given the opportunity to compete for the job with incumbent kicker BT Potter and fourth-year player Aidan Swanson.
The punting competition has created a little drama and a little concern amongst fans this fall. There have been times the press has been allowed to observe the competition and the opinions expressed were not good. Other times the coaches have been blunt about the lack of progress among the candidates.
Coach Swinney explained it this way:
"“That first practice may have been the worst punt drill I’ve ever seen in my life. I was pretty much thinking about moving it to the end of practice because it ruined my day the rest of the day.”"
Later in camp, Swinney indicated that not everything with the punters had been negative, and talked up Smith’s performance at one point:
"“My man Jack Smith won the day today. He was just bombing it. He looks like the guy that we brought in here that won the scholarship. And then Aidan has been awesome. B.T. is just steady.”"
If I had to guess where this competition goes, my gut says Smith would just have to blow the staff away to be the starter. Swanson probably gets the job, but if he can’t be consistent, I could see Potter taking the punting job. In both those scenarios, Smith likely redshirts.
The scenario with Potter punting might open a door for Gunn. Doing placekicking, kickoffs and punting puts more work on Potter’s leg than he’s had in the past. If Potter punts, there is a chance the Tigers look for someone to take the kickoff duties of his plate. That alternative could be Gunn.
Wade Woodaz
The final reason why a player might not redshirt? Some players are just better than expected for true freshmen. Several freshmen enroll early and the staff can see them up close in spring ball. Marcus Tate is a great example: he shined in the 2021 spring game and he was on everyone’s radar before fall camp began.
Other players arrive in the summer and the coaches don’t see them in practice until fall camp begins. Wade Woodaz falls into this category.
Woodaz was a bit of a mystery when Clemson began courting him last year. He was listed in the 247 Composite as a 3-star safety prospect from Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida. 247 noted him at 6’-3” and 205 pounds.
Soon the chatter was that the defensive staff saw Woodaz as a guy who could play linebacker, and possibly fit into the kind of hybrid role that Isaiah Simmons filled at Clemson. This sounded plausible but playing linebacker at 205 lbs would be tough. Woodaz was able to get to 217 by the big weigh-in, but that is still a bit light for a linebacker. The signals we were getting suggested Woodaz was a prime candidate for a redshirt and Power Hour for the coming year.
As fall camp unfolded, our assumptions began to ravel apart. Defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin said Woodaz had been a pleasant surprise this fall. He had been an efficient player on special teams, and as we have already noted, special teams can find a guy a role.
Goodwin made it clear that Woodaz wasn’t just a special teams guy; he was going to find time playing at the SAM position behind Barrett Carter. Weight aside, it looks like Woodaz has earned the confidence of the defensive staff.