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since then and they actually spoke with me and his mom [in late October], be- fore we came out there. "They've always been interested, but he was committed to Penn State for a while. Then, when he decommitted, everyone thought he was going to end up at Ohio State, so they just weren't sure where he stood. But then, once their defensive line coach reached out and Micah responded, they've been talking ever since." Now that the 6-foot-2, 244-pound prospect knows when he'll be making his decision, there's a chance that he could potentially squeeze in two more official visits. As of this writing, his plans depended on Harrisburg's playoff schedule. Building on a 2016 season in which they reached the PIAA 5A cham- pionship game, the Cougars won their first nine games this fall, and did so in dominating fashion, outscoring their opponents 447-76. Since seeing his team fall short in the state championship game last year, Par- sons has been focused on finishing his high school career in style, but as of early November, he and his father were interested in using his final two official visits if they could find a way to fit them into their schedules. "We've been talking about it," Ter- rence Parsons said. "With the way his football schedule is, it's tough to make these trips. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but they're undefeated still and on a roll, so we're hoping that they go pretty far into the playoffs. We do know that the district championship game is Nov. 24, which is a Friday. That's a weekend he could potentially take a trip Saturday to Sunday, so that's some- thing we're looking at." Parsons said Penn State would like his son to take an official visit to University Park on the weekend of Dec. 8-10, but it's not been officially set. "That's also the weekend of the state championship," Terrence Parsons said. "They made it to the championship game last year and they're better this year, so we're hoping that he and his teammates will still be playing that weekend. That game is also on a Friday night, so since Penn State is pretty close, we can probably make it up there that weekend." Parsons went on to add, "[Micah] has mentioned that if he does take another visit, it will probably be to Georgia. He's been interested in visiting them for a while now, but nothing is set." When Parsons decommitted from Penn State in April, it seemed unlikely that the Nittany Lions would be able to earn his signature. Now, however, that possibility doesn't seem quite so remote. Terrence Parsons said the family's conversations with Penn State "have been great." He's been talking and texting frequently with Nittany Lion recruiting coordinators E.J. Barthel and Justin King. "Micah doesn't tell me every time [he talks with the coaching sta9], so I'm not sure when he spoke with them last, but I know they've been in communication when they can," Terrence Parsons said. "Like I said, I know we're going to go back up to Penn State again before he makes a decision. We're de8nitely going to go back up there and meet with the coaches. That will be the last visit we take." In addition to everything else Parsons has going on, he's still working toward potentially becoming an early enrollee. Harrisburg High has never had a student graduate a semester early, so it was un- clear as of early November whether the school district would allow it, but that hasn't stopped Parsons from taking extra classes throughout the fall. "He's still taking his college courses and everything like that. He still has to finish up his English class and do his senior project," Terrence Parsons said. "He's taking a class at the local univer- sity and doing two online classes, so he's doing everything he can to be eligible, but we still haven't been given an an- swer about that yet. "I know it was brought up at the last [school] board meeting, so it's still pos- sible that he could graduate in January. But other than that, we're really not sure where it stands. He's just doing every- thing on his end to make it happen if they rule that he can graduate in Janu- ary." Parsons has been near the top of the Nittany Lions' recruiting board for quite some time, but he's not the only blue- chip prospect the coaches are still pursu- ing as they work to complete the Class of 2018. Following Penn State's decision to part ways with defensive end Dorian Hardy, we believe it could potentially add up to three more prospects in this year's class. Defensive end Jayson Oweh of Blairstown, N.J., and defensive tackle Tyreke Smith of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, are still seriously considering the Lions. Oweh was expected to take his o:cial visit for the Nebraska game on Nov. 18, while Smith will be on campus Dec. 8-10 for his o:cial visit. Both are planning to make their commitments Jan. 4 at the Under Armour All-America Game. Of- fensive lineman Rasheed Walker of Wal- dorf, Md., is also still being recruited by Penn State, but it's still unclear when he may visit again. ■

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