As Clemson prepares for its highly anticipated 2025 opener against LSU in Death Valley, senior linebacker Wade Woodaz has emerged as the steadying voice of the defense. His message is simple, but powerful: win the moment.
“Because I think when you look too far ahead, it causes a little bit of anxiety because you’re uncertain about the future,” Woodaz explained. “All we can control is what we do right now in this moment, what I’m going to do right after this. That’s all I can really focus on. Win the meetings, win the practice, then move on.”
That mindset is more than just talk—it’s become the heartbeat of a Clemson defense that knows it has to set a new tone in 2025. Last year, the Tigers surrendered 160 rushing yards per game, an area Woodaz bluntly admitted has to change.
“Stopping the run. We haven’t done that,” Woodaz said. “We didn’t do that at all last year really well, so it’s definitely a goal of ours. You stop the run, you earn the right to rush the passer. It really all starts with winning first down.”
That’s the kind of accountability Clemson has leaned on from Woodaz, who posted 89 tackles in 2024. But his leadership is extending beyond the stat sheet. In camp, he’s seen the linebacker corps around him grow—names like Kobe McCloud, Dee Crayton, and Jamal Anderson are carving out bigger roles.
“They’re confident in their bodies more—not getting pushed around like how it is when you’re a young backer,” Woodaz said. “And then confidence in the scheme, too. This summer we really spent a lot of time just learning what to do, and it was great to see that during camp—seeing Dee, Jamal, and Kobe really come along.”
That development comes at the perfect time, with LSU’s offense looming large. The Tigers from Baton Rouge bring transfer firepower in wide receivers Barion Brown (Kentucky) and Nic Anderson (Oklahoma) and tight end Bauer Sharp (Oklahoma), plus running back Caden Durham and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
“We haven’t got to see them in this scheme, but obviously we know what they can do,” Woodaz said. “We played against Barion Brown at Kentucky. He’s really good. He’s fast. And then obviously Garrett Nussmeier—dude can make any throw that he wants.”
It’s a daunting first test, but one Woodaz insists Clemson is embracing. He points to fall camp’s competitiveness—scrimmages that were balanced, not one-sided—as proof that the defense is sharpening against an elite Clemson offense.
“Both [scrimmages] were really competitive, so it’s definitely promising,” Woodaz said. “The dudes on our offense are legit, so being able to compete against them is, first of all, just going to get us better. Like, look at our receiving group. They’re legit. So our secondary having to go up against that every single day is iron sharpening iron.”
Woodaz isn’t just leading with words. He’s a senior who has lived the physical grind of ACC football, and he knows his time is short. That urgency is part of why his “win the moment” mantra has carried so much weight heading into 2025.
“If we just keep our heads down and keep doing the work every single day, look up, and great things will happen,” Woodaz said.
For Clemson’s defense, those “great things” will depend on whether Woodaz and his teammates can translate camp confidence into opening-night results against LSU.
