Capehart Reveals Why He Chose to Stay at Clemson

One player along the Clemson defensive line that primed for a breakout season is DeMonte Capehart.

Coming out of high school, Capehart was a consensus Top 60 talent, and expectations were high. However, not all players develop at the same pace and with the depth the Tigers have displayed at defensive tackle in recent years, getting on the field hasn’t been easy for Capehart.

For that reason, it would have been understandable had Capehart decided to explore other opportunities via the transfer portal. However, the fifth-year senior chose to stay the course due to the coaching staff in place at Clemson, which includes position coach Nick Eason.

“My coaching staff is the best in the country,” Capehart said after Friday’s practice. “So I really wasn’t ever thinking about (transferring). I just have full faith in my staff. They’re just the best in the country and I have full faith and belief in them. So I am going to trust them until the end.”

After playing less than 150 snaps across his first three seasons, Capehart started to emerge down the stretch in 2024, as the 6-foot-5, 316-pound interior linemen started to show exactly what kind of player he can be.

After that taste of success a season ago, when he finished with 16 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble in just 179 snaps, Capehart is bound and determined to build on those performances and become one of the anchors in the middle of the Tigers’ defensive line.

In fact, as he heads into his final season, Capehart insists that he is as dialed in as he has ever been.

“I would just say committed,” Capehart said. “I’m always willing to get better. I show up every day and I am not satisfied. I show up with a hungry mindset every day. I want to be better so I would just say from then to now is I am more hungry now. I see it and I want to eat it.”

And Capehart gives a lot of credit to his coaches for the growth he has experienced while at Clemson.

“My coaches are on me all the time about little small details,” he said. “You got to want to be better and you got to take the small things serious. That’s how you get better.”

After patiently waiting his turn, now it is Capehart’s time to shine, and potentially even thrive. While the Tigers did lose Tyler Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro, Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll from last season’s defensive line, with players like Capehart ready to step in and fill the void, no drop off is expected.

“We talk about passing the torch,” Capehart said. “What they laid the foundation for, we just got to pick up and keep on with it. No drop off. We know what is expected.”

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