Peter Woods' coaches knew he was special after big play in 8th grade

Peter Woods has shined throughout his time on the football field.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jul 10 08:15:51 GMT-04:00 2022

Thompson head coach Mark Freeman had an idea that Peter Woods was going to be special when they brought the 8th grader up to the varsity team for a practice. Woods promptly stepped in and drilled an older running back in a violent collision, putting the rest of the world on notice that he was there to make a difference.

Woods, a 5-star 2023 defensive tackle out of Alabaster (AL) Thompson, is one of the most coveted defenders in the country, a 6-4, 265-pounder with a quick first step and speed to burn. Woods committed to Clemson Friday evening during a ceremony at his school.

He is rated as the No. 3 defensive lineman in the country by the 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 1 defensive tackle by ESPN. Woods joins Clemson QB pledge and fellow Alabama native Christopher Vizzina as 247Sports Composite 5-star rated prospects in the class. Woods posted 92 total tackles, 26 for loss, with 11 sacks and one pick-six last season.

Freeman, who has been at Thompson since 2014, said the Tigers are getting a special player and a special person.

“Great family, great kid. Been with us since he was a little boy,” Freeman told TigerNet. “He's been raised in Alabaster and he started playing for us in the 8th grade. He was just a guy that I felt like when he was mature enough physically that was going to be a good player. I would rather us have our hands on them every year we can, and so we pulled him up and I think he actually played in the state championship game. He's been with us a while and he's never been in my office for any kind of misbehavior or anything. And we have really good kids and a lot is expected out of them with a lot of accountability and things. Like I said, Peter has never been in trouble in his life and is just a great, great leader for us now.”

Woods’ first practice with the varsity was an eye-opener.

“You knew the first practice he had with us as an 8th grader. We pulled him up and we thud in practice,” Freeman said. “We’re just getting our timing in and we're not going to the ground. And we've got a running back right now that starts in Charlotte (Shadrick Byrd) and Woods just drilled him. First play he was in there, he just drills our running back. And so you knew then this guy, he means business. And so really you had a sense of awareness right there. His motor is always running and he enjoys the physical part of football. But we knew last year Peter was a special player. We had Jeremiah Alexander, who is at Alabama right now, and they kind of anchored that defense.”

What sets Woods apart on the football field?

“He's got such a powerful and fast first step. He's really good with his hands. He's athletic. So when he explodes, he explodes with a lot of leverage,” Freeman said. “Uses his hands really good just off blockers. And then he ran a 4.6 (40-yard dash) three times in a row for us in April. He can run. He has that explosion in his hands and he is such a physical kid. Like I said, he explodes into the defenders and uses his hand so well. They just can't get on him with their blocking. Just really good instincts, too, for a big guy. Got great, great instincts on where the ball is going.”

Freeman said that Clemson did a great job of recruiting Woods, but one of the main reasons that head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff won out was because Clemson feels like home.

“When he came back from the official visit, I asked him about the trip and he said it went great,” Freeman said. “When he discussed with me about what he planned on doing, he told me it felt like he was walking through his house. The coaches were like his high school coaches. They had young kids running around, and I have our coaches let their young kids come to us a lot, and I think it felt a lot like home to him. And I think they did a really good job expressing that they're worried about him being a complete person.

“I don't really get into recruiting with the kids, but I think they just did a great job on convincing him that it was going to be a lot like the culture he was used to and they were going to try to develop him as a total person as well as football player.”