Clemson added a transfer defensive tackle to its 2026 roster four months after the portal window closed, and the reason starts with a diagnosis nobody saw coming. Hevin Brown-Shuler’s Hodgkin lymphoma announcement created a gaping hole on the interior defensive line, and Dabo Swinney’s staff went to work finding a fix the only way they could this late in the cycle.
They found Devarrick Woods. The Texas State transfer committed to the Tigers on May 13, choosing Clemson over Florida State after being granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The portal window had been closed since January. None of that mattered. Woods was available, Clemson needed a body at defensive tackle, and the Tigers made the call.
Losing Brown-Shuler was the kind of blow you can’t scheme around. He’s a member of the Clemson family, first and foremost, and the program made clear that his health comes before any depth chart. But the football reality exists alongside the human one. Brown-Shuler was going to be part of the DT rotation in 2026. Without him, the Tigers needed someone to step into those reps.
Peter Woods had already departed for the NFL draft, taking his 6-foot-5, 315-pound frame to the pros. The DT room was thin before the cancer diagnosis. After it, the staff had to act. Enter Devarrick Woods. Same last name, different player, same position of need.
The defensive lineman from Bossier City, La., played his high school ball at Airline before spending two seasons at Hinds Community College in Mississippi. He put up real numbers at the JUCO level: 82 tackles, 15.5 for loss, 8.0 sacks across his time at Hinds and Texas State. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he recorded 23 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks in nine games. The following season he jumped to 43 tackles, 7.0 for loss, 4.0 sacks and three pass breakups, earning first-team All-MACCC honors.
Then came the jump to FBS. Woods spent 2025 at Texas State in the Sun Belt, compiling 16 tackles, 2.0 for loss and a sack over 11 games. Solid production at the Group of Five level. Not eye-popping. But enough to warrant a look from an ACC program with a roster opening at his position.
FSU wanted him. The Seminoles had Woods on their board as a portal target. Clemson swooped in and closed the deal before Tallahassee could seal it. That’s a tangible win in a rivalry that extends to every corner of the recruiting and portal landscape.
The transfer portal’s official window closed in January. Woods committed in May. That gap only makes sense in the context of what happened to Brown-Shuler. Before the diagnosis, Clemson had its defensive line depth settled. After it, the staff had an unexpected need and a narrow window to address it.
The NCAA granted Woods a fifth year of eligibility, which gave both player and program the flexibility to make a move that would not have been possible under normal portal timing.
At 6-foot-3 and around 290 pounds, Woods has the frame to play on the interior in the ACC. His JUCO production suggests he can hold the point of attack and get into the backfield. His single season at Texas State showed he can compete at the FBS level, even if the tape does not scream NFL prospect.
What Clemson needs from him is simpler than that. They need a body. They need someone who can take snaps at DT without the defense falling apart. They need a fifth-year player who has been through the JUCO grind, survived the FBS transition, and has enough left in the tank to contribute for one season.
The bar is not transformational portal addition. The bar is: can you play meaningful snaps at defensive tackle in the ACC? Based on his track record, Woods clears it.
Clemson’s 2026 defensive line was supposed to be settled by now. Peter Woods to the NFL was expected. Brown-Shuler’s illness was not. The portal addition of Woods does not replace what Brown-Shuler would have brought as a depth piece, but it fills the chair.
The Tigers also continue to build for the future. Their 2027 recruiting class has picked up significant momentum with the commitments of four-star IOL Carter Jones, TE Carter Blackwell, and TE Nicholas Pollack, among others. The 2027 recruiting class boost has been the top storyline of a busy spring. Woods is not part of that long-term build. He is a short-term fix for an immediate problem.
Brown-Shuler’s prognosis for Hodgkin lymphoma is good. He is expected to return for the 2027 season. When that happens, the DT room will look different than it does today. Woods will have come and gone. But right now, in the summer of 2026, Clemson needed a tackle, and Devarrick Woods was the answer to a question nobody wanted to ask.
