Things are already getting spicy between former Clemson Tigers teammates who are now on the NFL level.
The Clemson Tigers saw nine of their players selected in the NFL Draft last week, tying a school record.
Two of those players were edge rusher T.J. Parker and quarterback Cade Klubnik, with Parker going to the Buffalo Bills at No. 35 and Klubnik landing with the New York Jets with the 110th overall pick.
That means Parker and Klubnik will be in the same AFC East division, and Parker will be attempting to sack Klubnik for a change.
During his Bills introductory press conference, Parker fired off a hilarious warning to Klubnik ... but it also had some firm truth to it.
“Cade, when you see this, man, look, if I get the chance to play you and you out there throwing that rock, it ain’t no practice now," Parker said. "You don’t got no purple jersey on. I don’t got to ease up no more. I’m going to run full speed through you, you know what I’m saying? Obviously, I’m going to land with my hands on the ground so we don’t get fined, you know what I’m saying, we’re going to play within the parameters."
T.J. Parker. Credit: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Parker then went on to say how happy he is for his former Clemson teammate.
“I’m super excited for him," Parker added. "He is a hard worker, an unbelievable guy, he’s going to come in right away and try to be a leader as much as possible. Man, I’m super excited to see how his career pans out. Obviously, they have Geno Smith there so that’d be great for him to learn behind him and get things going. So I’m super excited for him."
Parker and Klubnik were Tigers teammates for three years. Most recently, Parker registered 37 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in what was actually a rather disappointing final season for the star pass rusher.
Klubnik was underwhelming as well in 2025, throwing for 2,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 94 yards and four scores on the ground. He watched his draft stock plummet as a result.
The 22-year-old will almost surely begin 2026 as Smith's backup in New York, but he has a great chance of becoming the starter at some point.
Meanwhile, Parker seems poised to become an integral part of Buffalo's defense right off the bat, as the Bills were in serious need of pass-rushing assistance.
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