Clemson DE T.J. Parker Making Number Change To Honor Father

Saturday is Clemson's Military Appreciation Game, and defensive end T.J. Parker will be honoring his father in a special way on his uniform.

Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker will change his number from No. 3 to No. 63 in his father's honor for the Military Appreciation game. | Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

One of the Clemson Tigers’ most memorable games is the Military Appreciation Game, where Memorial Stadium adds special elements to honour those who have fought for our country. 

Many players have close ties to the military, including defensive end T.J. Parker, who will be making a change in his jersey number for one game only to honour his father, Sgt. Tommy Parker, an 11-year US Army veteran. 

Parker will change his number from No. 3 to No. 63, the number that Tommy wore in high school. 

DE T.J. Parker will wear No. 63 on Military Appreciation Day on Saturday. His father, 11-year US Army veteran Sgt. Tommy Parker, wore that number in high school. pic.twitter.com/uIZ81AU98b

— Ross Taylor (@ClemsonFBRoss) November 20, 2025

It isn’t the first time that the junior defensive end has honoured his father in a way like this. In his freshman year, when Clemson hosted Georgia Tech in the annual Military Appreciation Game, there was always a player or a member of staff that does the honour of running down the hill with the American flag to run out onto the field. 

On Nov. 11, 2023, it was Parker who ran down with the flag, his father being in attendance in Clemson’s 42-21 win over the Yellow Jackets. 

“It was amazing. I got to represent my dad,” Parker said last year. “He was at the game, so he got to see me play, live out my dream, so I know he was happy to see that, and my mom was super proud of watching it too. I was just super happy to run down with the flag and represent my dad.”

The defensive end has hopes for the NFL Draft, being honoured as one of the 29 seniors who will run down the hill before the game begins. Although he has another year of eligibility, the 2024 second-team All-ACC standout will look to make his father proud once again on a day that honours his service. 

“That’s the least I can do, show him that thanking him for his service and thanking everybody for their service really, I was just super excited about it, and I was just thinking about all the times my dad had to deploy and me, as a kid, like missing him and him coming back home and I was super excited, so like, that was really going through my mind when I was waving the flag down the hill. 

In what will be an emotional day for Parker, he will look to continue to improve his draft stock heading into the offseason. Clemson kicks off with Furman at 4:30 p.m. from Death Valley, with the game being broadcasted on the CW Network.