Peter Woods’ sophomore season didn’t quite live up to what he’d envisioned.

Woods started the season playing outside at defensive end before moving back inside to tackle over the final handful of games. The move outside to start the season was necessitated by the Tigers being short of depth at end.

Woods did finish with 32 tackles, 8.5 for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. While many players would be satisfied with that kind of season, the expectations for Woods entering 2024 were sky-high.

The move outside just didn’t have the desired results, and then he also dealt with an injury during the second half of the season that forced him to miss three games and limited him in another.

Dealing with that injury had an impact, on and off the field. One of the biggest was the weight he put on while out.

“I played the season at 320,” Woods said. “Personally, I think that was too heavy. I think towards the end of the season, after I got back from the injury, I saw 330-something and that was somewhere where I wasn’t supposed to be at all. Anywhere playing football for anybody.”

After the Tigers’ loss to Texas in the opening round of the College Football Playoff, Woods decided he needed to shed some of that weight, and right now, he looks like he might be in the best shape of his Clemson career.

“Right now, I have lost 15 real pounds, about 20 pounds,” Woods said. “Just little small tweaks in my diet, a little bit extra every day. Just so I can play more plays at a higher level for a longer period of time. That is something that me and coach Swinney have really put on my back, saying how many plays can you play at a high level. I feel like getting a little smaller was something I probably needed to do.”

While Woods readily admits the injury played a role in gaining the weight, he also says it wasn’t the only factor.

“I would be crazy to say that didn’t have something to do with it,” Woods added. “Obviously, I can’t say that was everything, but it definitely played a part in it. Not doing stuff. Kind of feeling sorry for myself about being injured. Not being able to play. A lot of stuff factored into it.

Now, he has modified some of his eating habits, and when asked if he felt like he has his quickness and agility back, Woods had a simple but frank response.

“100 percent. 100 percent, yeah.”