Will Heldt on Clemson’s “amped up” camp — and why his fit on the edge matters in 2025
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Clemson wanted an instant-impact edge who could live on a steady diet of one-on-ones and complement star T.J. Parker this fall. Will Heldt showed up earlier this year, seeming like exactly that dude.
“Football life is football life,” he shrugged, but admitted the Tigers’ camp has been “amped up” — faster practices, deeper competition, and a front four that turns every rep into a finals heat.
The transfer defensive end has leaned into all of it: the 4:40 a.m. player-led workouts, the tough love from position coach Chris Rumph, and the day-to-day grind he credits for the “Terminator” label he picked up at Purdue.
Asked about the early-bird sessions that teammates have mentioned this offseason, Heldt lit up. He said the group started small and grew as more players “showed up that extra 30, 45 [minutes] early” to get their bodies right, a simple ritual that, in his words, “puts us in the best position possible to perform.”
The names around him matter: leaders like fellow transfer Jeremiah Alexander (LB), Peter Woods (DT), and Parker (DE) have been central voices in that buy-in wave, and they’re all core pieces in 2025.
Heldt didn’t hide his excitement about the matchups he expects this fall. With Parker already commanding help (he posted 11.0 sacks last season) and Woods destroying interiors, Clemson’s scheme can naturally manufacture one-on-ones on the opposite edge. Heldt’s summary: when you get them, “you’ve got to dominate.”
The data backs up the premise — Parker’s sack total was the headline number on a defense that seemed to still have room to grow, especially with new defensive coordinator Tom Allen taking over.
It’s not just star power, either. There’s veteran ballast. Inside, DeMonte Capehart brings size and experience, and in camp, Heldt’s daily reps often come against two multi-year ACC tackles: Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller. Leigh enters his grad-senior year; Miller is a grad senior on the right side — the kind of practice looks that harden an edge before September.
As for being known as “a robot” by teammates, Heldt didn’t puff his chest. He called it a compliment, sure, but framed it as the byproduct of routine. The early mornings, consistent prep, and stacking quiet days to become the best player possible. That lines up with Allen’s early emphasis on three pillars Heldt recited to the media: takeaways, tackling, and effort.
Heldt also shouted out Darien Mayo, the long, traits-rich redshirt freshman, as a young end he often pairs with in drills because their frames and rush sightlines are similar. Mayo’s measurables (6’7, 270) tell the story of his upside; Heldt likes his motor even more. Time will tell if the lengthy defensive lineman can find his niche.
As for Heldt, a proven commodity at 6’6, 260, enters his junior season as a plug-and-play piece with the maturity to match Clemson’s expectations. He won’t need schemed-up wins every snap; the front’s “star gravity” should get him what he craves: clean edges, true half-man rushes, and a quarterback depth chart he can influence in money downs.
If Heldt cashes the one-on-ones as often as he thinks he can and if Parker’s 2024 form forces more chips and slides his way, the Tigers can keep the pressure package simple, save the exotic stuff for high-leverage moments, and still dictate terms. That’s the difference between affecting quarterbacks and owning them, and it’s the fastest path to making opening night against LSU feel like the start of something more than just a showcase.
