While TJ Parker has lofty expectations for himself, his expectations for the Clemson team are even higher.
After going 9-4 in his first season with the Tigers, Parker readily admits 2023 didn’t quite meet the standard at Clemson. As he heads into his second season with the program, Parker has noticed a more determined focus within the team.
“I think this is our prove-it year,” Parker said on The Players Lounge podcast. “These last couple years, we haven’t got to where we wanted to, but I feel like this is the year, everybody’s dialed in. Whether that’s doing extra things on weekends, and things like that within all the groups, a lot of people are stepping up to be leaders. Defense and offense. You see a lot more guys locked in.”
During his freshman campaign, Parker grew into one of the staples along Clemson’s defensive front. His 5.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss earned him freshman All-American honors from ESPN and as Parker looks to the season ahead, he envisions the Tigers’ defense building on what they were able accomplish in 2023.
“Dominant. I don’t even want to have a doubt,” Parker said. “I want the commentators and stuff to say, ‘They had no chance.’ I want to put fear in people’s hearts. We need to get back to that where we line up against somebody and they already know they lost. We’re going to get back to that. We’re not about to, we’re going to.”
During Clemson’s five-game winning streak to end the season, which included big wins over a ranked Notre Dame team and rival South Carolina on the road, plus a thrilling comeback victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, Parker got a little taste of what winning at a high level feels like.
However, Parker is far from satisfied. Part of the reason he came to Clemson was to win at the highest level, and he is determined to help the Tigers get back to meeting that standard.
“I want to see us win a natty, plain and simple,” Parker said. “My class in particular, we’re very tight. We’ve been saying it from the jump, like man, before we leave, we got to win one. A lot of guys had great success this year, especially for our class being so young, we had a lot of success. We got a lot of promise moving forward, but our biggest goal is to win a championship, bring one back home. That’s obviously, really the big team goal.”
“I want to be able to say that I won a natty while I was in college.”
A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available. Get yours while supplies last! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
