Barrett Carter, Wade Woodaz: Outstanding Tigers, Better Men

© Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

The 20th-ranked Clemson Tigers (7-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continue to be the standard for the ACC and a perennial power in college football. While the offense, led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, has been electrifying averaging 473 yards and 38 points per game this season, the defense has been equally energetic. Two names to remember are linebackers Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz.

Recently, College Football Dawgs spoke with both men about several topics, from their on-field motivations to their off-field endeavors. As two of the standard bearers for the Tigers program, both Carter and Woodaz are just the latest in a long line of standout defenders

In the Transfer Portal Era

While many universities pursue players in the Transfer Portal, Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney have been stalwarts in developing their own recruits. While the coach has taken more negative about his approach than warranted, Carter and Woodaz explained why the Clemson way works more often than not.

"Parents raised me to put the work in," Woodaz said. "The money helps, but I play football because I love it. It never entered my mind to go somewhere else. I'm at Clemson, one of the best places in the country. Why would I ever want to leave here?"

© Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Carter echoed the same mentality.

"The beliefs of the Clemson program—Faith, Family, Discipline, Effort—align perfectly with me," Carter said. "All those qualities aligned with how I was raised by my parents. I truly feel at home when I'm at Clemson. To play for Clemson and compete against the best teams in the country and get an education like no other, you can't beat that."

How the Offense Has Pushed the Defense

After the season opening loss to the then-top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2 Southeastern Confernece), the offense exploded, scoring 40 or more points in five of their next six games. Both Woodaz and Carter enjoyed watching the offense put up those numbers and score at will.

"They get motivated to get the ball back to the offense as soon as possible," Carter said.

"It's a great feeling knowing that we got an offense out there that you can go down score whenever they want," Woodaz said.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Both Woodaz and Carter shared a similar statement saying that going against the offensive line in practice has been the most challenging and beneficial.

"If you're not on your P's and Q's, whenever you go against either any of them you're gonna, they're gonna put you on your butt," Carter said.

"Offensive tackles Blake Miller and Tristan Leigh bring out the best when he is blitzing off the edge," Woodaz said. "Also highlighting the physicality of Walker Parks"

Woodaz added that he likes going up against Klubnik in practice as well because "he's a talker and knows how to get under your skin."

On Clemson Culture

A lot has been said across the sports landscape about team culture and having the right team culture as teams put the work in to succeed.

Woodaz said getting the right guys in the locker room is important.

"The winning helps," Woodaz said. "People want to go where you win. All of us are strong-willed, strong-minded and want to go to work. When you're surrounded by a bunch of guys like that, it pushes you."

"We have a team standard, for sure, but defense, specifically, we have a standard on defense, and that's just relentless effort and just doing your job to the best of your ability," Carter said. "You try to just keep carrying on that standard. I try to preach the message of what they preach to me. I try to, you know, throw my own little spice into it as well. But you just try to carry that standard on and just, you know, let the legacy keep on living on."

Woodaz said having his brother, Drew, on the team gives him extra motivation to be a leader for the Tigers.

"He's proud of his brother putting in the work," Woodaz said. "He pushes me to go harder."

Great Players, Better Men

While the work on the field speaks for itself and gets the biggest spotlight, Clemson's efforts to have their football players become standouts in the community doesn't get enough credit.

Carter said he feels as though his growth on the field is only part of what Clemson has helped with. For Carter, his off-the-field growth is highlighted by his involvement in the "Our Friend Christopher" organization. The organization holds a special place for Carter as a high school teammate, Christopher Miles, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away in 2020. The charity organization's goal is to raise awareness and funding to battle pediatric brain cancer and eliminate the challenges of the cancer.

For Woodaz, he recently participated in his P.A.W. Journey where he traveled as part of the service trip to South Africa in the spring 2024. During the journey, they worked in the community with local children in various aspects of life and sport.

It was an enlightening trip, according to Woodaz.

"[It] taught me perspective of what we have here compared to other countries," Woodaz said.

While some don't agree with Swinney's approach to building a team for long-term success, it's clear that he has not only produced quality football teams, but also quality men in his tenure at Clemson.