T.J. Parker talks early impressions of new defensive line coach
As bowl prep continues and we near two weeks until the Gator Bowl against Kentucky, both sides of the line of scrimmage on Clemson's roster are getting adjusted to a new position coach in charge.
For the defensive line, that man is Chris Rumph. Having spent time with major Power 5 schools at the college level and multiple years in the NFL, the fiery veteran is bringing the energy to bowl practices.
Clemson's defensive line features multiple young stars, including TJ Parker (12) and Peter Woods (11).
Freshman T.J. Parker, who will be a key part of this unit in future years, discussed his initial impressions of Coach Rumph, "He brings high intensity. He came in saying he's gonna coach us hard but love us even harder, which I love. I'm still getting to learn him, we've only been with him a few days but I can definitely feel the energy, the passion that he brings, and the knowledge that he brings. It's gonna be good for us in the future."
When asked if Parker and his teammates feel like that tough coaching from Rumph is already making them better he responded with, "Oh most definitely. We talked as a group like 'Man, we love that type of coaching.' That hard-knock coaching, you know, he'll yell at you but he's gonna point out what you're doing wrong and how you can get better. So we kind of have good insight that he's gonna be a great coach for us."
While the next couple weeks are a great opportunity to begin a relationship there's going to be so much more to come in the year ahead so what is the near-sophomore looking forward as the bond continues to build? "I'm excited. He brings in that enthusiasm and that hard coaching that we love so it makes you want to play for somebody like that. If you see your coach want it as bad as you do it only amplifies the room and the love you have for each other."
If Parker's early testimony holds, the defensive line seems to be in excellent hands, both now and in the seasons to come.
