Clemson signed 27 players as part of its 2023 recruiting class, some of whom still have yet to make it to campus.

Fifteen signees went through spring practice, the largest number of early enrollees the Tigers have ever had during the Dabo Swinney era. In this series, The Clemson Insider is taking a closer look at the 12 newcomers that won’t arrive until the summer and the likelihood of them contributing immediately based on development and positional need.

TCI previously highlighted Rob Billings, Tyler Brown, Markus Dixon, Jarvis Green, Ronan Hanafin and Jay Haynes. Next up is A.J. Hoffler.

Position: Defensive end

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 235 pounds

Ranking: 4 stars (247Sports Composite)

Previous school: Woodward (Georgia) Academy

The skinny: Hoffler comes from a football family – his brother, Ozzie, is a defensive end at Kansas State – and is another young edge defender being added to the defensive front that already looks the part physically. He finished his prep career with 90 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 15 sacks. Hoffler had 21 tackles in seven games as a senior.

Cracking the rotation early won’t be easy for Hoffler, who was part of a heralded freshmen defensive line haul for the Tigers that included fellow end TJ Parker, an early enrollee who went through the spring. And despite Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry now being in the NFL, there is still depth and experience at the position headlined by veterans Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll. Senior Greg Williams is another edge defender that’s been around a while, and Cade Denhoff and Zaire Patterson are third-year ends that look primed to take on their biggest roles yet after biding their time. Next season may be one of development for Hoffler as a prime redshirt candidate.