ESPN highlighted the 25 best non-quarterback players for the upcoming college football campaign, and a pair of Clemson defenders made the list.

Star defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods were pegged by ESPN as two of college football’s top non-QB playmakers for the 2025 season.

“The two talented linemen have been paired since their arrival at Clemson and are difficult to separate as they enter what should be their final college seasons,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote.

Parker followed up a freshman All-American selection in 2023 with an outstanding sophomore season in 2024. A second-team All-ACC selection, he finished the 2024 season with six forced fumbles, setting the Clemson record for forced fumbles in a single season. He also finished tied for second in the nation and tied for the national lead among power conference players in forced fumbles.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder also finished fifth nationally in tackles for loss (19.5) and ninth nationally in sacks (11) last season season. By posting the aforementioned numbers, Parker was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 10 nationally in all three categories — forced fumbles, tackles for loss and sacks.

Woods, meanwhile, split time between defensive tackle and defensive end as a sophomore in 2024. He also played five snaps as a fullback in Clemson’s jumbo package on offense. The 6-foot-3, 315-pounder recorded 32 tackles (8.5 for loss), 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble over 11 games (10 starts).

After coming to Clemson as ESPN’s No. 4 overall prospect for the 2023 recruiting class, Woods earned freshman All-American honors in 2023, when he tallied 27 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a forced fumble over 12 games (two starts), to go along with 10 quarterback pressures, the most of any Clemson defensive tackle.

“Both are top NFL draft prospects for 2026, especially Parker, who set a team single-season record for forced fumbles and had Clemson’s highest sacks and tackles for loss totals since Clelin Ferrell in 2018. Parker was the only FBS player to finish in the top 10 nationally for forced fumbles, sacks and tackles for loss,” Rittenberg wrote.

“Woods started the 2024 season at defensive end before moving back to his more natural tackle position. He had some of his most productive games against Georgia and Texas, Clemson’s two toughest opponents. Woods slimmed down during the offseason and should be a force for new coordinator Tom Allen.”

Parker enters the 2025 season with 105 tackles (32.0 for loss), 16.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups over 27 career games (17 starts), while Woods heads into 2025 with 59 tackles (11.0 for loss), 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles across 23 career games (12 starts).

Players from three teams that Clemson will face this season — South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart, Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers and Louisville running back Isaac Brown — were also named by ESPN among the top 25 non-QB playmakers in college football.