Kirby Smart is not buying all the talk about Clemson’s defensive line.
Though the Tigers lost three starters from last year’s defensive front, Georgia’s head coach says the top-ranked Bulldogs will see a talented and determined Clemson front when the 14 th -ranked Tigers take on Georgia in the Aflac Kickoff Classic Saturday from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“When you look at them on paper, you say they only have a certain amount of defensive starters, but two of their best players, statistically, are back, and they were freshmen,” Smart said Monday. “Technically, they did not start, but those guys were dominant players.”
Those guys Smart spoke so highly of are defensive end T.J. Parker and lineman Peter Woods.
“Parker and Peter Woods, both, were really good players. We knew about those guys in recruiting,” Smart said. “They are tremendous athletes. They are both very productive with other guys coming back. They have experienced guys coming back.”
Parker was a Freshman All-American last season. He played in all 13 games and started three of them. He was second on the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and was tied for the team lead in sacks with 5.5. He had 41 tackles overall, two deflected passes and 10 quarterback pressures.