Penn State football: Micah Parsons could join KJ Hamler as return man

We know Penn State football linebacker Micah Parsons is athletic — but is he athletic enough to return kicks in 2019?

In today’s game of football, there’s no such thing as one porotype for each position. For example, quarterbacks used to be known strictly as pocket passers. Guys weren’t as mobile. Nowadays, quarterbacks typically need to be multi-talented. If a passer isn’t good on his feet, then he could be doomed. Therefore, they need to be more athletic — more of a dual-threat.

The linebacker position is sort of similar. Before, linebackers had to be big-bodied players who are known for their power. But in today’s day and age, they are expected to do much more. Linebackers need to be quick on their feet. They need to be able to cover in the passing game. Overall, they need to be very athletic in order to accomplish the most.

The Penn State football program knows a thing or two about linebackers. After all, they did earn the nickname ‘Linebacker U’ over time. And to this day, the Nittany Lions are still getting stellar results from their guys at the position. Last season, they had a budding star in the young Micah Parsons. As a freshman, Parsons led the Nittany Lions in tackles with 82 total.

For the linebacker position, Parsons has an ideal size. He stands at six-foot-three-inches, weighing in at 245-pounds. But don’t let the size fool you — because Parsons is truly a freak of an athlete. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen videos surface online of Parsons quickness as a runner. Now, we’re finding out that his versatility could earn him some additional duties.

Parsons potentially gains a ‘special’ role

Back in the spring, the local media at Happy Valley had a good chuckle when Micah Parsons was set back to return kicks. Clearly, the Lions were just having some typical offseason fun to keep the spring practices light. As it turns out, though, there was no messing around at the time.

According to Lions247’s Mark Brennan, the Nittany Lions were totally serious about Parsons’ potential new role on special teams. When asked Parsons practicing returning kicks, Penn State’s special team’s coach Joe Lorig said: “You won’t see me practicing anything that we won’t really do.”

Some of Parsons teammates added fuel into the fire of this speculation on Friday while at the Big Ten media conferences in Chicago. Admittedly, everybody agrees that Parsons is able to return kicks if the Lions are serious. While wide receiver KJ Hamler offers their best bet at the position, don’t be surprised to see Parsons out there on the opposite side of the wideout on Saturday’s.