ESPN ranks Clemson's Peter Woods among top 50 newcomers (transfers or freshmen) in 2023

Peter Woods is among the Top 50 newcomers (transfer or freshmen) according to ESPN.

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Aug 11 09:41:10 GMT-04:00 2023

The expectations have been there since high school, and ESPN is on that hype train as well for a young Clemson defender.

Peter Woods was named among the Top 50 newcomers in college football -- transfer or freshman -- on Friday.

Woods checked in at No. 33 overall, as the eighth-best freshman there, on a list that was stacked with 29 transfers.

"Woods was one of the most sought-after defensive linemen in the 2023 class," ESPN's Tom VanHaaren said. "The 6-foot-2, 300-pound lineman had 90 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 8 sacks as a senior in high school. He finished his high school career with 260 tackles, 72 tackles for loss and 29.5 sacks. Woods played in the Clemson spring game and had seven tackles with one sack while playing on the first-team defense."

Woods was ESPN's No. 4 overall prospect and the top-rated defender.

Clemson will face its fair share of top newcomers this season, led by an early November home clash with Notre Dame and former Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman.

"Hartman was one of the top quarterback transfers this offseason and is coming to Notre Dame at the perfect time. Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner both transferred and the Irish were searching for stability at the position. Hartman was a five-year starter at Wake Forest and earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2022. He threw for 12,967 yards and 110 touchdowns with 41 interceptions in his Deacons career and is now tasked with leading the Irish in 2023," said VanHaaren.

Former Virginia and now Florida State defensive back Fentrell Cypress is No. 4 on the list. Former Virginia and now NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong is No. 16.

Florida State also has No. 18 (DL Braden Fiske) and No. 21 (WR Keon Coleman).

Other players Clemson could potentially play on the schedule include South Carolina wide receiver Nyckoles Harber (No. 30), Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (34), Miami offensive lineman Samson Okunlola (35) and Miami defensive end Rueben Bain (45).