Clemson freshman TJ Parker to play 'starter reps' at defensive end

Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods has received a ton of hype during the preseason and for good reason. However, he’s not the only true freshman who will help the Tigers on the defensive line immediately this fall. Freshman defensive end TJ Parker is another player the coaching staff is extremely excited about.

Parker was ranked as the No. 54 overall player in the country for the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings. In just a short amount of time, he has shown that he can be a difference maker this season.

“He checks all [the boxes]. He’s ready,” Dabo Swinney recently told WCCP. “It won’t take you long to see No. 12. That’s his number. You’ll see him early and often. He’s a dude, man. … TJ Parker, he’s a starter rep guy and has earned that.”

The emergence of Parker is a big development for a defensive line that has plenty of experience with its top two guys in Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll but not much at all after that.

In addition to Parker, redshirt sophomore Cade Denhoff is also set to receive plenty of opportunities behind Thomas and Mascoll this fall.

“We’re really fortunate. Our first four have really solidified themselves, and that’s exactly what we needed to happen. That’s why we went and signed TJ. He’s been here. He looks great. He’s going to be a heck of a player,” Swinney said. “[Thomas, Mascoll], Cade Denhoff and TJ Parker, they’ve really solidified themselves as those four.”

While Clemson has a top four it feels good about, after that it gets shaky. There are several players battling to be No. 5 and No. 6 at d-end, but no one has truly emerged yet.

“We’ve got another group that we’ve gotta really develop a fifth, sixth, seventh guy. Man, what [AJ] Hoffler has been able to do, [David] Ojiegbe. We knocked it out of the park on both of those guys,” Swinney said. “They’re going to be able to play and help us this year. Jahiem Lawson is coming and getting better. He might be a little more of a situational guy early, but he’s made a lot of progress. Zaire Patterson is still maturing.”

Overall, Swinney feels good about where Clemson is with its defensive ends. TJ Parker is a big part of that.

“We’ve been able to do what we needed to do, and that’s develop some depth within that room,” Swinney said.