The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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PREP PROFILES The Wolverines Are In Hot Pursuit Of Florida Linebacker At 6-5 and 255 pounds, Sebastian (Fla.) River outside linebacker Jarez Parks is an impressive physical speci- men. The four-star recruit is one of the biggest linebackers in the 2017 class and caught the eye of everyone who saw him at a Florida State camp during the summer. Rivals.com Southeast recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy is an expert on prep talent in the state of Florida and spoke very highly of Parks. "Parks is a very impressive looking prospect, and it's not hard to pick him out of a crowd," Cassidy said. "He has the build of a top-level foot- ball prospect and still has plenty of time to add even more muscle. "Once on the field, he moves well laterally and is surprisingly agile for a prospect of his stature. He didn't show much in coverage at the camp, but moved incredibly fluidly in drills." Parks — who is rated as the No. 5 prospect in the talent-rich state of Florida, and the No. 1 outside line- backer and No. 28 overall player na- tionally by Rivals.com — has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, South Car- olina and Wisconsin, among others. "Michigan is coming hard after me," Parks said. "Florida State and Clemson, too. Most of the schools are really coming hard for me, but those three stand out." Parks added that he would like to take a trip U-M, but has yet to schedule a visit. He has also yet to set a timetable for a commitment and doesn't have a leader at this point, but knows what he is looking for in a school. "It's about the education," he said. "That's the first thing I look into. I'm going to major in pre-medical." Parks was the 2015 Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Track Co-Ath- lete of the Year for his accomplish- ments in the shot put and discus, which put his strength on display as a sophomore. He and his Sharks went 6-4-1 on the football field this past fall, losing to Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland in the first round of the 6A state play- offs. It could be tough to pluck Parks out of Florida, but Michigan has po- sitioned itself well to try and do just that moving forward. — Brandon Brown ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ S e b a s t i a n R i v e r H i g h School Sebastian, Fla. Class: 2017 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 255 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 5 prospect in Florida, and No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 28 overall player nationally Jarez Parks