Wes Goodwin might be the happiest man in South Carolina

Wes Goodwin has received plenty of good news lately.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jan 07 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

Wes Goodwin might be the happiest man in South Carolina right now.

Clemson’s defensive coordinator just finished his first year at the helm of the Tiger defense, and a few months ago, we all wondered just what the defense would look like in 2023. Heading into the season, there were many who thought the Tigers would lose so many good players, especially off the defensive line and in the secondary, that next season would be a bit of a rebuilding year.

Instead, it’s reload and not rebuild.

Sure, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer might be that happiest man because of his new contract, but Goodwin strikes me as the type of coach that would rather have great players instead of money. Sure, the money is nice, but if you have great players and you coach them up, the money will take care of itself.

Defensive end Justin Mascoll told me after the Orange Bowl that he would return for another year, and he’s been followed by defensive end Xavier Thomas, safety Sheridan Jones, cornerback Jalyn Phillips, and defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro.

If you’re keeping count, that is a wealth of experience returning, to the tune of 7,777 career snaps over 285 career games, with 634 career tackles. The fewest snaps belong to Orhorhoro, who has 1,114. That means each player has well over 1,110 snaps in his Clemson career, with Tyler Davis leading the way with 1,551.

How will it all shake out and what does it mean for the defense?

A way-too-early look might see the defense line up with Thomas and Mascoll at end with Davis and Orhorhoro in the middle. The end position is still a little light – backups like Cade Denhoff, Greg Williams, and Zaire Patterson will have to step up, and the freshman defensive ends will have to play a role.

But the middle is set with Payton Page, Tré Williams, and DeMonte Capehart all good enough to challenge for a starting nod each week.

At linebacker, the Tigers return the versatile Barrett Carter at the weakside spot, Jeremiah Trotter in the middle, and Wade Woodaz on the outside (even though he can play multiple spots).

Andrew Mukuba and Phillips should start at the safety spots, with Jones and Nate Wiggins at the corner spots. Due to injuries this season, younger players like corners Toriano Pride and Jeadyn Lukus and safety Sherrod Covil all earned valuable snaps. Team jokester and leader Tyler Venables still has two years remaining, and he told me after the Orange Bowl he has no plans of going anywhere else. (He looked at me, smiled, and said, “What else am I gonna do?”)

Freshman Peter Woods will be the instant-impact freshman that should provide the “WOW” factor. He was all over the field in an all-star game earlier this week, and he can play either end or tackle. Right now, it looks like he could spend some time at end because of the depth at tackle, but he will play no matter what.

You know I am a history buff, and I remember the words of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. After Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States entered the war, Churchill said he, “slept the sleep of the saved and the thankful.”

Sleep good, Wes. Your job just got a little easier.