

There are reasons to be happy for this 2024 CFP first rounder. Draft Analyst Joel Klatt ranked his top 10 college football players overall regardless of position entering the season. This team had 3 players in it. It’s a hard-nosed defensive front, an experienced QB, a unified locker room, and a coach who might just be playing chess while everyone else is on TikTok.
And the team he’s obviously talking about is the Clemson Tigers with three players making his top 10. “Now Clemson is going to be insane. I love the idea. I love the idea of Clemson kind of running through the ACC and getting back to the mountaintop. I don’t know if they’re going to win the National Championship, but man, I am really toying around right now. It is. What is it, middle of July like? I think Clemson could play for the National Championship. I think Dabo could have the last laugh in all of this,” Klatt said on his show.
If that sounds dramatic, Klatt’s reasoning makes it sound borderline inevitable. His logic hinges on defensive dominance, and he’s not shy about who leads that charge. DT Peter Woods, the 6’3, 315-pound wrecking ball on the defensive line, comes in at No. 10 on Klatt’s list. “Part of that is that they’re really good on defense. Part of that is that they’re great in the middle on their defense up front with Peter Woods. So I’m a big believer and I know that this is old school. But I’m a big believer in front to back, inside out. That’s how you construct a great defense,” Klatt said. Woods has the bend, the burst, and the interior violence that makes NFL scouts drool.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Klatt went on to add, “He played on the edge as well as the interior… He can stuff the run. He disrupts the timing of the offense by getting to the quarterback both interior and on the exterior. Big fan Peter Woods. You’re going to be hearing his name and I think you’re going to hear his name quite high in next year’s NFL Draft.”

Then came another Tiger. Sophomore edge rusher T.J. Parker at No. 8. “Here’s another reason why I’m so high on Clemson. I’ve got another Clemson Tiger right here. And it’s on the defensive side on the edge, T.J. Parker. This guy can play now… I think the Clemson defense could be the best defense in the country,” Klatt added. Parker has a blend of speed and strength on the edge. He is 6’3, 265 pounds of havoc and that makes him another potential first rounder. Klatt nearly threw in Clemson corner Avieon Terrell, calling him a complete game-wrecker. Together, this unit could be the best front-seven the Tigers have fielded since their 2018 championship team.
And then there’s evergreen Cade Klubnik, ranked No. 3 overall. The seasoned senior QB1 and two-time ACC Championship Game MVP. He is also a Heisman contender, a returning starter, and, most importantly, a Tiger who stayed put. That’s the undercurrent of what makes this Clemson resurgence different. After losing to Texas in the first round of the CFP last December, Parker, Woods, and Klubnik all confirmed they were contacted. Directly or indirectly by other top-tier programs in the portal circus. They stayed. That’s not normal anymore. That’s Dabo Swinney’s biggest win of the offseason.
“These guys can leave any time they want,” Swinney said at ACC Kickoff. “They have to choose, first of all, to come, and then they have to stay. I just think that says a lot about how we put it together on the front end, recruiting guys that really align with our purpose.” Clemson didn’t just retain its stars. It brought back 16 of 22 starters. Eight on each side of the ball. The only six departures were seniors out of eligibility. That kind of roster consistency is gold in the age of free agency disguised as a transfer portal.
It wasn’t accidental. Clemson backed it up financially. The Tigers committed 86% of their revenue-sharing pool to football. Roughly $15.5 million in total, to keep this core intact. That’s a real salary cap, and they used it to perfection. No splashy portal class. No NIL bidding war headlines. Just retention, development, and belief in a room that still listens to Dabo Swinney.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“Why would you leave a place like this?”, Dabo Swinney’s best men
In an era where the transfer portal spins like a roulette wheel, Clemson’s top trio didn’t even blink. Cade Klubnik, Peter Woods, and T.J. Parker? They shut the door on tampering hard. The Tigers’ stars were wooed by programs across the country after Clemson’s 10-4 season and Playoff exit. But those efforts were met with a collective stiff arm.
There was no swaying Klubnik, Clemson’s senior passer and Heisman hopeful. Or Woods, a wrecking ball of a DT. Or Parker, a heat-seeking missile off the edge. They had their chances to bolt, but stayed grounded in Tiger Town. “I’m here for the long haul, and that’s what it is,” Klubnik said. “Sure, other teams tried and whatever. But, obviously, it wasn’t easy to pull me away from here.”
Top Stories
Woods didn’t mince words either: “Why would you leave a place like this with an opportunity like this?” Parker followed suit, smiling as he said, “I would never leave. This is home.” Klubnik made it clear: “You have to choose every year, you know? That’s what college football has come down to. For me, it was never even a choice. It was easy.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Woods, expected to head to the NFL after 2025, nodded and grinned when Dabo Swinney spoke about retention. He knew what was up. Tampering? Oh, it’s out there. But for Woods, Parker, and Klubnik, Clemson’s 2025 mission meant more than any poached promises.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT