CBS ranks Clemson front-seven among best in college football |
CBS Sports ranked the top front-seven defensive groups in college football and
Clemson made the Top 5 list.
Wes Goodwin's group checked in at No. 4 overall. "The Tigers linebacker room might just have the best duo in the country with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter," CBS Sports' Dean Straka said. "The two combined for 169 total tackles last year, and Trotter solidified himself as Clemson's top pass-rusher with 6.5 sacks and 13 total tackles for loss. The defensive line brings more questions with the departures of Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy, and three-time all-ACC defensive tackle Tyler Davis is Clemson's only returning lineman who started every game in 2022. However, defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro started in nine contests last year, and defensive end Justin Mascoll should see more action after starting twice in 2022. "The wildcard is super-senior edge rusher Xavier Thomas. Staying healthy has been a struggle at times for Thomas, but the former five-star prospect has tremendous upside when healthy, evidenced by him garnering freshman All-America honors back in 2018. Also, keep an eye out for freshman defensive lineman Peter Woods to make an immediate impact in the rotation after the former four-star recruit put together a strong spring effort." Georgia tops the ranking, followed by Michigan and Penn State, with LSU completing the Top 5. Florida State also made the honorable mentions for the list. In that front-seven group, Davis, Carter and Trotter were named preseason first-team All-America by Phil Steele recently. Thomas and Orhorhoro also made Steele's second-team All-ACC preseason.
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