Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1201503
A T T H E 2 0 2 0 N I T T A N Y L I O N S said. "When you get your op- portunity, your moment, you've just got to take advan- tage of it, I believe. And I was able to take advantage of it today." For his efforts, Parsons was awarded the Cotton Bowl's McKnight Trophy honoring the game's most outstanding defensive player, but his teammates' praise proved to be even more significant. An undeniable talent now bolstered by the confidence that can only come with experience, Parsons has only furthered opinions that have long been set within Penn State's locker room. "He's a top-ten pick. He's a dog," running back Noah Cain said. "I knew he was a dog since high school. I expect it from him. He's going to make plays. He's an All-American for a reason." Building on an already im- pactful freshman season by eclipsing 100 tackles to reach 109 for the year, with double-digit stops in eight of his 13 appearances, Parsons has set a lofty standard for 2020. In the months to come, he's certain to receive the kind of hoopla reserved only for the nation's very best players. The word "Heisman" was already working its way through the Cotton Bowl's postgame media avail- abilities in conjunction with Parsons' name, but the linebacker isn't prepared to hop aboard the hype train just yet. Rather, in advance of his third and po- tentially final season at Penn State, he is already turning a critical eye toward reaching his vast potential. "I've just got to build on it. No one is perfect. I've got to keep learning. I've got to keep doing more, keep helping the younger guys," he said. "You've just got to keep building on top of this, and we're just going to keep getting better and better." ■ LION LEADER Parsons fin- ished his soph- omore season with 109 tack- les. It was the second year in a row in which he led the team in stops. Photo by Steve Manuel