Tyler Brown, TJ Parker named to ESPN freshman All-America team

Tyler Brown and TJ Parker were honored by ESPN as freshman All-Americans.

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Dec 14 13:24:59 GMT-04:00 2023

Two Clemson freshman standouts were honored by ESPN on Thursday, one each on offense and defense.

On that offensive side, former 3-star prospect and Greenville High School product Tyler Brown made the freshman All-America list.

"It took a few weeks for Brown to get going, but he became one of the most reliable players on Clemson's offense. He provided the explosiveness the Tigers were lacking in the first three weeks of the season. He finished with 51 catches for 519 yards and four TDs," said ESPN's Tom Luginbill.

On defense, TJ Parker is the selection from a number of young performers.

"Parker was far more productive and disruptive through the first few games of the season than his teammate Peter Woods. All season, his presence off the edge created issues for opposing offenses and it began in Week 1 against Duke. He had 31 total tackles, one pass defended and five sacks. He was the 10th-ranked DE in the 2023 class," said Luginbill.

Woods and Khalil Barnes have also been honored on freshman All-American teams.

The former 5-star prospect Woods was credited with 22 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a forced fumble in 273 snaps over 11 games this season (one start). For PFF grades, Woods performed best for Clemson defensively (86.5) and eighth-best among all defensive linemen nationally (min. 20% of most snaps at the position). His best mark came against the run (89.2 grade). He made freshman All-America for College Football Network, where he was tabbed as the Freshman Interior Defender of the Year, as well as 247Sports, On3 and College Football News.

Barnes earned freshman All-America from The Athletic, On3, 247Sports, and College Football News. He enters the 2023 bowl season credited with 34 tackles (5.0 for loss), six pass breakups, a team-high three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery (which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown) in 445 snaps over 12 games (six starts).

Parker was a Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year semifinalist and freshman All-American also for 247Sports, The Athletic, College Football News and College Football Network. He enters the 2023 bowl season credited with 38 tackles (11.0 for loss), 5.0 sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery as well as 10 quarterback pressures as credited by the coaching staff in 434 snaps over 12 games (three starts)