Another Clemson player has made his NFL decision.
T.J. Parker made it official on Tuesday night.
The star edge rusher has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
“First, I want to thank God for putting me in this position and guiding every step of my journey. I’m beyond grateful for my family, my wife, my teammates, and my coaches for believing in me, pushing me, and standing by me through everything,” Parker wrote in a social media post.
“Thank you, Clemson, for taking in a young kid with big dreams and helping shape me into the man and player I am today. This program, this school, and this community will always have my heart. I’ll forever love y’all for the support, the lessons, and the moments that changed my life.
“With that being said, after a lot of prayer and conversations with the people closest to me, I’m blessed to announce that I will be declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.”
Parker, who has routinely been projected to be a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft, has posted five sacks as a junior in 2025 to go along with 9.5 tackles for loss. He has started all 12 games and tallied 39 total tackles with two pass breakups and 15 quarterback pressures.
Parker made a massive impact in Clemson’s rivalry win over South Carolina to end the regular season. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after collecting four tackles (3.0 for loss), three sacks and a fumble recovery — his career-high third fumble recovery of the season and the sixth of his career, moving him into a tie for fourth in Clemson history.
Parker joined Vic Beasley (two) as the only players in the Dabo Swinney era to record multiple career games with 3.0 or more sacks. With his 3.0 sacks against the Gamecocks, Parker (21.5) passed Chester McGlockton (20.5 from 1989-91) for the 10th-most career sacks in Clemson history.
The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder entered 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) from 2023-24. He recorded 5.5 sacks as a freshman and 11 as a sophomore.
Parker joins Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, wide receiver Antonio Williams and defensive tackle Peter Woods in declaring for the NFL Draft.