In-state five-star Peter Woods, who announced his commitment date earlier in the week, chose the Clemson Tigers over the Crimson Tide on Friday evening. The 6-foot-3, 270 lb. defensive lineman from Thompson High School in Alabaster is the second five-star from the state of Alabama to choose the Tigers this cycle.

Woods joins Christopher Vizzina, quarterback from Briarwood Christian in Birmingham, and is the 17th commit in the 2023 class for Clemson.

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Woods is the eighth ranked player in the state and the fifth ranked defensive lineman in the nation, per Rivals.com.

Cooper Petagna of 247Sports complements the defender's athleticism, saying, "Quick twitch explosive athlete with an excellent first step off the line of scrimmage (...) Exhibits good play strength at point of attack and shows the ability anchor as a run defender. Possesses excellent run and chase ability with the ability to close space quickly."

Woods made his official visit to Clemson in June, and revealed to 247Sports, following his commitment, that the decision was made then.

Woods said, "I committed to Clemson after taking my official visit. I actually didn't know I was going to make that decision until I made it," the five-star continued, "I tell people all the time that I was a lock to Alabama. Something just hit me that day and I made the decision."

Alabama currently holds just 10 commitments in the 2023 class following a flip from Florida four-star Elliot Washington to Penn State on Friday.

While it's not unusual for the Crimson Tide to get off to a slow start in recruiting, Alabama's staff will need to apparently fight harder if it wants to retain its best in-state talent.

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