Clemson’s T.J. Parker Fires Back at LSU HC Brian Kelly’s ‘Death Valley Jr.’ Remark

LSU head coach Brian Kelly made headlines last month when he referred to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium as “Death Valley Junior,” and Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker fired back at Kelly on Thursday.

“They can have their opinion,” Parker said, according to On3. “We’re gonna handle all that on August 30. At the end of the day, we can do all the talking. We still got to play. So, we gonna see. You know what I’m saying? They’re hyping up everybody across the board, all these transfers they got — we’ll see.”

LSU travels to South Carolina to take on Clemson in a highly anticipated season opener for both programs on Aug. 30. LSU hasn’t won a season opener under Kelly and has lost five consecutive Week 1 games dating back to 2020.

Despite only having met four times previously, the rivalry between these two programs has continued to grow over the years, with both schools referring to their stadium as Death Valley. The two programs last met in 2019, when LSU crushed Clemson by double digits to win the national championship.

Earlier this month, Kelly, the winningest active NCAA coach, said LSU is “letting Clemson borrow the name.”

“There’s always fuel for the fire,” Swinney said, per 247Sports.

Clemson’s Memorial Stadium was first referred to as Death Valley in 1948, while LSU’s Tiger Stadium was first called Death Valley more than a decade later in 1959, when LSU defeated Clemson in the Sugar Bowl that same year.

Clemson is returning 16 starters from last season, including All-ACC quarterback Cade Klubnik, while LSU is also returning its star QB, Garrett Nussmeier, and reeled in the No. 2 class in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

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