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Clemson’s linebacker room will look different when the Tigers take the field at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 27, for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State.
Clemson (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will be without starting linebacker Wade Woodaz, who suffered an injury in the regular-season finale against South Carolina, while Jamal Anderson Jr. redshirted after four games and entered the transfer portal, and redshirt sophomore Dee Crayton, who logged 79 snaps this season, also departed via the portal. The result is a group with less depth and far less experience heading into a matchup with a physical Penn State team (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten).
Woodaz’s absence looms large. He finished second on the team with 77 total tackles and added 7.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups, while serving as one of the defense’s primary on-field communicators.
In his place, Clemson will lean heavily on ACC First Team selection Sammy Brown, along with Alabama transfer Jeremiah Alexander and redshirt junior Kobe McCloud. Brown led the Tigers in tackles (92) and defensive snaps (656), while also recording 12.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and seven pass breakups during a breakout season.
Who joins Brown in the starting lineup remains undecided. The depth chart has not been released, but either Alexander or McCloud is expected to start, with both likely logging significant snaps.
Alexander, who started two games this season but played just 171 snaps overall, spoke Tuesday about the opportunity in front of him.
“I’m looking forward to it," he said. "I look forward to each and every game…. With Wade being down, my role, I’m just ready to go out there and execute whatever coach asks me to do. I’m gonna go out there and give my best each and every play.”
Beyond production, Alexander acknowledged how much he has learned from Woodaz and Brown, particularly in leadership and communication — areas Woodaz handled extensively.
“Really, communication. You know, I play outside linebacker, so like, getting guys lined up and things of that nature wasn’t really my job, or something I had to do. You know, watching Wade, [a] very vocal leader, Sammy Brown as well. Just those guys and how they lead. Especially Wade Woodaz, how he leads, and how he takes authority of the defense and just goes about it each and every day.”
Brown acknowledged Wednesday that Woodaz’s absence has forced him into a more prominent leadership role, but said he has confidence in the group stepping into expanded responsibilities. That unit includes Alexander, McCloud (173 snaps, 21 tackles, one sack, four pass breakups), redshirt freshman Drew Woodaz, Wade’s younger brother, CJ Kubah Taylor, freshman Logan Anderson, and redshirt junior walk-on Fletcher Cothran.
“I’m really confident in the guys that are stepping up and stepping into those roles. But also for me, it’s been unique for me to kind of step up into the leadership role with Wade not being able to play," Brown said. "So, it’s been really good for me to be able to help a couple of the other guys out in the backers’ room and just help them come along. And it’s been a really good experience. I’m really confident in a lot of those guys.”
Brown was also asked specifically about Alexander, who posted five tackles and a sack against Florida State and added seven tackles on the road at Louisville.
“He’s just really been able to take small steps throughout the season and getting better and improving his game," he noted. "At the beginning of the season, he was really like a workhorse for us. He did a lot of stuff that stepped up the linebacker room and just made us work even harder. So to see him take steps throughout the season has been really encouraging, and I’m really excited to watch him play.”
Alexander, a former five-star recruit and high school teammate of Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods, transferred from Alabama in early 2025. With Woodaz graduating and looking ahead to next season, a strong showing in New York could position Alexander as a projected starter alongside Brown in 2026.
Asked if he feels he has anything to prove on the Pinstripe Bowl stage, Alexander kept the focus simple.
“Each and every game for me is just going out there and just being able to go out there, execute, do my job," he explained. "A lot of my teammates trust me. A lot of coaches trust me. I feel like there’s nothing I really want to prove, just going out there, having fun with the guys and execute my job and my plan.”
Clemson’s reshuffled linebacker group will be tested immediately by Penn State’s rushing attack, led by Kaytron Allen, who enters the bowl game with a team-high 1,303 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Kickoff for the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl is set for noon ET on ABC.
