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Penn State Football 2018 Early Enrollee Profile: DE Micah Parsons

By Barry Leonard Jr.

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 21: Penn State students cheer against the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 21: Penn State students cheer against the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football got a big boost in its recruiting when five-star Micah Parsons joined the Nittany Lions

Micah Parsons made an early commitment to Penn State football before changing his mind and reopening the recruiting process. However, in the end, the Nittany Lions still won out in the battle for one of the top defensive players in the 2018 class.

The Pennsylvania native began his high school career at Central Dauphin before transferring to finish out at Harrisburg High School. Parsons was a standout on both sides of the ball, playing running back and on the defensive line.

During his senior year at Harrisburg he rushed for over 1,200 yards and 27 touchdowns and added two receiving scores. On defense he recorded 55 total tackles, including 17.5 for a loss.

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Overall, in three years of high school ball Parsons racked up 245 total tackles and 64.5 tackles for loss, including 41.5 sacks.

After putting up statistics like that, it’s no surprise that Parsons was rated as a consensus five-star recruit. According to 247 Sports, he was ranked as the top defensive end and the No. 4 player overall in the 2018 class.

He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after his senior year, making two tackles, and was named the American Family Insurance Defensive Player of the Year.

Parsons originally committed to James Franklin and the NIttany Lions back in 2016. However, he decided last spring to de-commit from Penn State and open up his recruitment. After several visits to top schools, Parson’s appeared headed to Ohio State. However, a controversial Tweet and self-reported recruiting violation by the Buckeyes essentially ended Parson’s chances of ending up in Columbus.

In the end, the choice ultimately came down to Oklahoma and Penn State. Franklin continued his recruiting dominance by winning the battle for Parsons.

Now an early enrollee, Parsons will get a jump on starting his collegiate career. The coaching staff has already announced that he’ll play middle linebacker for the Nittany Lions.

Look for Parsons to make an early impact and be an important player from the start at Penn State.

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