Peter Woods has generated a ton of hype this spring, and former Clemson standout Eric Mac Lain had heard plenty of people raving about the highly touted true freshman defensive lineman.

But Mac Lain, the former Tiger and All-ACC offensive lineman turned ACC Network analyst, wanted to find out for himself what all the buzz around Woods was about.

“When I went to practice — I have these kind of checkoffs or this list of stuff — when I go to somebody’s practice, I want to get these things accomplished in my head,” Mac Lain said on Gramlich & Mac Lain with Kelly Gramlich. “Number one was, is Peter Woods that guy? Everything that I had seen and written and heard is just people going crazy about this young man, and I’m like, he hasn’t played a down, like a game, anything, and what’s the hype all about?”

To get that answer, Mac Lain spoke with a wide array of people at Clemson and got similar responses as to why Woods is so special.

“So, the first people I talk to is the strength staff and then I talk to some GAs, some support staff, and then I talk to Nick Eason, his defensive line coach,” Mac Lain said. “Then I want to talk to the opposing offensive linemen that are going against him, and everyone says the same thing – everyone says that this guy is just far and above. And I ask why, like how, what does that mean, and it starts with just his demeanor, his confidence, his want-to. He’s so dialed in. And then you look at the physical side where he’s just this ball of muscle, this freak.”

Woods enrolled at Clemson in January after signing with the Tigers as a five-star recruit in December. He was ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 defender in the 2023 recruiting class by ESPN.

In the Orange vs. White spring game last Saturday, Woods showed flashes of his immense potential while tying for the Orange team high with seven tackles including one for loss and a sack.

Mac Lain likened the 6-foot-2, 300-pound Woods to former Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, a two-time Pro Bowler who has played with the Atlanta Falcons since being drafted by the franchise in 2015.

“I’ve heard the Christian (Wilkins) and Dexter (Lawrence) and all these different (comparisons),” Mac Lain said. “To me, it’s closer to Grady Jarrett. Similar in stature, I think he’s a little bit bigger. But the player that I think he could be is that Grady Jarrett type of guy who was, up until the last maybe season, the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.”

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