With the 2024 college football campaign in the books, Pro Football Focus (PFF) has been ranking the best returning players at each position heading into the 2025 season.

PFF recently unveiled its ranking of the top 10 returning edge defenders, and Clemson’s T.J. Parker checked in at No. 3 on the list, behind South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart at No. 2 and Texas’ Colin Simmons at No. 1.

Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. (No. 4) and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk (No. 5) round out the top five of PFF’s returning edge defender rankings.

Parker followed up a freshman All-American selection in 2023 with an outstanding sophomore season in 2024. In fact, it was a one-of-a-kind campaign for him from a statistical standpoint.

A second-team All-ACC selection, Parker 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) this past 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.

Parker’s tackles for loss and sacks totals were both the most by a Clemson player since Clelin Ferrell’s 19.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 2018, while Parker’s 11 sacks rank ninth in a season in Clemson history.

Here’s some of what PFF’s Max Chadwick had to say about Parker entering the 2025 season:

Between Parker and Peter Woods, the Tigers currently project to have the first edge defender and defensive tackle selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. …

Parker has a devastating bull rush thanks to his power at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds. He has all the makings of a top-10 selection next April if he can put together a similarly strong junior year.

A former top-50 national prospect from Alabama, Parker enters the 2025 season credited 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) in his two-year Tiger career thus far.

New Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen recently named Parker as one player who has stood out to Allen so far this spring.

Allen already knew that Parker is a special player, but it’s Parker’s “practice habits” that Allen said he’s been particularly impressed by.

“You can be a guy that plays well on game day. But man, I want to see a guy that brings it every day when nobody’s around,” Allen said. “The work ethic on the weekends, and I’m just big in, what are you doing extra? If you just do what you’re supposed to do, yeah, that’s good, but it’s not enough. So, I want guys that do extra, and T.J. Parker to me has stuck out as that kind of guy.”

As for the other position rankings released by PFF so far, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik was touted as the No. 1 returning quarterback for 2025 and Peter Woods was pegged as the No. 1 returning interior defensive lineman, while Bryant Wesco was ranked as the No. 7 returning wide receiver, and Blake Miller was tabbed as the No. 7 returning offensive tackle.