True freshman defensive end T.J. Parker has been very impressive through Clemson’s first two games this season, posting two tackles and two quarterback pressures in his disruptive college debut at Duke before adding a team-high five tackles (3.0 for loss) en route to earning defensive player of the game honors this past Saturday vs. Charleston Southern.
Parker is currently listed as the backup to Xavier Thomas at one of the Tigers’ defensive end spots, and he has quickly established himself as the third man in the pecking order behind Thomas and fellow starting edge rusher Justin Mascoll.
But after back-to-back strong showings to begin his college career, is Parker already pushing Thomas and Mascoll for a starting role?
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked that question Tuesday during his weekly press conference.
“No. That would insinuate that Mascoll and XT are not playing well,” Swinney answered. “Mascoll and XT are playing – Mascoll especially, this kid had a great game the other day. I mean, a really, really good game, and is playing really well, playing long and fast. But T.J. Parker is playing starter reps. He’s definitely our third guy.”
Mascoll made four tackles (one for loss) against Charleston Southern after recording six tackles at Duke, while the other sixth-year veteran edge threat, Thomas, tallied one tackle and three quarterback pressures at Duke before notching two tackles (one for loss) with a sack vs. Charleston Southern.
“Neither one of those other guys, they’ve done nothing to lose their job or anything like that,” Swinney said.
Clemson defensive lineman T.J. Parker (12) makes a defensive stop against Charleston Southern during the fourth quarter Saturday, September 9, 2023 at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider
As for Parker, Swinney and the Tigers certainly appreciate his production so far, as well as his future potential.
A former four-star and top-50 national prospect from Alabama, Parker’s performance against Charleston Southern made him the first Clemson true freshman with 3.0 tackles for loss in a game since Myles Murphy in 2020.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder hasn’t wasted any time showing what he can do at the college level after concluding his prep career with a senior campaign that saw him produce 63 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
“We certainly recognize T.J. and what he’s done in two games. He got a lot of opportunity the other day because he’s a young player who hasn’t played a lot,” Swinney said of Parker, who logged 25 snaps vs. CSU after debuting with 18 snaps at Duke.
“So, we definitely wanted to get him in there, and really proud of what we’ve seen out of him. He’s a kid we were super excited about coming in, and he’s a guy that could be a starter for us, for sure. But Mascoll and XT are definitely our guys right now.”
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