Tag: t.j. parker

Two Tigers headline On3’s true freshman standouts from Week 5 of college football

Two Tigers are among the top five true freshmen standouts from Week 5.

Clemson’s freshmen class has looked awesome to start the 2023 season, with a freshman on offense and defense performing at a tremendously high level this season.

On offense, it is wide receiver Tyler Brown who has been turning heads with his play this season. The young wide receiver has been starting quarterback Cade Klubnik’s top target and the offense’s most explosive player so far this season. 

On defense, T.J. Parker has looked like the best defensive lineman Clemson has this season. While most of the offseason talk revolved around Peter Woods, Parker has been the clear standout. 

In Week 5, both players were excellent, leading to On3 naming them two of five true freshman standouts from Week 5 of college football.

Dabo Swinney on what makes Clemson star freshman on the defensive line T.J. Parker so productive

Clemson freshman defensive lineman T.J. Parker has been outstanding for the Tigers early in his career.

Clemson’s freshmen class has proven to be productive early in their time with the Tigers, with defensive end T.J. Parker being among the top performers so far this season.

Through five games this season, Parker has made his presence felt as the Tiger’s most productive defensive lineman. Over 140 snaps, the young defensive end leads the team in tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (3) as a disruptive force on this Clemson defense. 

During Dabo Swinney’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, the head coach was asked about what has made Parker so productive so far for the Tigers. Like freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown, it comes down to maturity.

“Same thing I would say with Tyler Brown – maturity, number one,” Swinney said. “I think you have to really have just an abnormal level of maturity for an 18-year-old, first of all, to be able to prepare and absorb and translate everything that’s going on. There’s just a lot. The fact that he came in January certainly has helped him because I think he was able to really take advantage of the off-season program. He got a lot bigger and a lot stronger.”

Parker has been a revelation for this Clemson defense, and the need was clearly there. He has been the Tigers’ top pass rusher and has taken advantage of every opportunity given and earned.

Swinney didn’t stop there, sharing praise for the entire freshmen class. 

“It all goes back to his maturity and what’s inside him. He’s got a will to win, a will to prepare that’s unique as a freshman,” Swinney said. “It’s the same as Tyler Brown, same as Khalil Barnes, same as Peter Woods. That whole group, some of them you see, and you know right now. Some of them you don’t. Like, let me tell ya, ole (A.J.) Hoffler is going to be a player. (David) Ojiegbe, those are kids you haven’t really seen much yet. Jamal Anderson, Dee Crayton, Avieon (Terrell), Shelton (Lewis), (Branden) Strozier — I mean, we’ve got a whole group of guys. Robert Billings, Kylen Webb, there’s a bunch of guys in that class that we are super, super excited about.”

Swinney and his staff did a great job with this group.

Clemson freshmen Tyler Brown and T.J. Parker earn ACC weekly honors

Clemson’s freshmen class has been performing at a high level.

CLEMSON, S.C. — The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today that Clemson wide receiver Tyler Brown and defensive end T.J. Parker have combined for three ACC Player of the Week honors for their performances in Clemson’s 31-14 win at Syracuse on Saturday. Brown collected both ACC Receiver of the Week and ACC Rookie of the Week honors while Parker garnered ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

The trio of selections are Clemson’s second, third and fourth of the season. Clemson has now earned a total of 569 ACC weekly honors since 1968.

Brown joins Sammy Watkins and Deshaun Watson as the only players in school history to earn multiple ACC weekly honors in a single week. Watkins collected dual awards for performances against Auburn and Maryland in 2011 and Watson did so following superlative efforts against North Carolina and NC State in 2014.

Last week, Brown recorded career highs in receptions (nine) and receiving yards (153), and his 153 receiving yards were the most by a Clemson true freshman since Justyn Ross’ 153 yards against Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game to conclude the 2018 season. Brown became only the seventh player in Clemson history to record a 100-yard receiving game within the first five games of a career, joining Artavis Scott (two games in 2014), Justyn Ross (two games in 2018), Cole Turner (two games in 2022), Sammy Watkins (three games in 2011), Derrick Hamilton (five games in 2001) and Jim Lanzendoen (five games in 1973).

Parker earned his first career ACC Player of the Week honors after posting five tackles (two for loss) and 2.0 sacks on Saturday. He became the first Clemson true freshman to record at least 2.0 sacks in a game since Myles Murphy’s 2.0 sacks in the 2020 season opener at Wake Forest. He joined Murphy, Dexter Lawrence and Corico Wright to become the fourth Clemson freshman under Dabo Swinney to post 2.0 sacks in a single game.

Parker leads all freshmen nationally with 7.5 tackles for loss and is the only freshman in the FBS with 5.0 or more tackles for loss. Through five games, he is already more than halfway to Murphy’s Clemson true freshman record for tackles for loss (12.0). Parker’s 3.0 sacks also rank tied for second nationally among freshmen.

–Via Clemson Athletic Communications

Five takeaways from Clemson’s strong but inconsistent road win over Syracuse

It was a strong bounce-back win for Clemson, but the Tigers need to continue to work to find more consistency.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers recovered from last week’s overtime loss to Florida State with a bounce-back road 31-14 win over Dino Babers and Syracuse. 

Clemson (3-2,1-2 ACC) came to play in the first half, with the defense making plays, causing turnovers, and the offense taking advantage of the opportunities they were given. The second half wasn’t as strong for the Tigers’ offense, but the defense continued to perform as the team picked up a much-needed ACC win. 

Watching this win, you can see how talented this Clemson team is and how much more they are capable of. The team needs to continue working and find more consistency in their game.

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s solid road win against Syracuse.

Clemson’s Defensive X-Factor for Week 4 vs. FSU

This freshman has been impressive through three games this season and has an opportunity to make some noise in a huge matchup.

Like our Offensive X-Factor for this matchup, this choice is nearly identical to the reasoning we had last week, but this time it is a different player.

Pass rush is something that the Clemson defense will have to produce to be successful against Florida State. Jordan Travis is one of the country’s best quarterbacks, and for the Tigers’ defense to slow him down, they will need to create pressure and set the edge so he doesn’t beat them with his feet. 

One of the key pieces to the Tigers finding this success is our Defensive X-Factor, freshman defensive end T.J. Parker. While much of the preseason hype revolved around defensive tackle Peter Woods, Parker has been the Tigers’ most impressive freshman this season.

Watching this freshman, it feels like he’s everywhere on the field. He plays with a high motor and has a tendency to find the ball. He recorded the first sack of his career last week against Florida Atlantic. I’m expecting this young pass rusher to keep this good momentum going into one of Clemson’s biggest matchups of the season.

Watch out for T.J. Parker in Week 4. 

Jersey numbers for every true freshman on Clemson’s roster

Clemson’s football team has a lot of new faces on its roster, so make sure you know who makes what play by learning their jersey numbers.

Clemson will kick off its 2023 season in under two months, and for roughly a quarter of the team’s roster, it will be their first collegiate football game.

The Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class, which consists of 26 commits, was ranked No. 11 in the nation, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Highlighted by five-star defensive tackle Peter Woods, four-star defensive lineman T.J. Parker and four-star quarterback Christopher Vizzina, among others, Clemson’s freshmen class has players with high potential.

But, with so many new faces joining the team, it can be difficult to know who’s who in the first few games of the season.

To help fans keep track of those new faces, here are the jersey numbers for every Clemson true freshman on the roster, including walk-ons: