Blue White Illustrated

P enn State has taken part in many mem- orable recruitments over the years, but it's safe to say that Nittany Lion fans won't forget the ups and downs that fol- lowed 4ve-star linebacker Micah Parsons any time soon. Back in 2014, the Harrisburg, Pa., prospect burst onto the scene as a fresh- man at Central Dauphin High School, racking up 121 tackles and 27 tackles for loss. Before the season was even over, 4rst-year Penn State head coach James Franklin had seen enough, verbally o5er- ing Parsons a scholarship before any other school. Within a year, it was clear that Parsons wasn't just going to be one of Pennsylva- nia's top 2018 prospects, but rather one of the best in the entire nation. Fortunately for Penn State, he had also taken seven uno6cial visits to University Park by the end of 2015. At the time, Parsons thought he had seen enough, verbally committing to Franklin and his sta5 during a junior day visit in February 2016. But what he didn't know at the time was that a handful of elite programs were inching closer to extending scholarship o5ers of their own. By the end of the sum- mer, Alabama, Florida State, Nebraska and Southern California had all grabbed his attention. Ohio State soon followed. "When I got those o5ers, I was torn," Parsons said. "I didn't want to disappoint Coach Franklin and everyone at Penn State, but I also felt like I had to at least give some of these schools a look." If the stress that came with recruiting weren't enough, Parsons also had a falling out with administrators at Central Dauphin around the same time. He de- cided to transfer to nearby Harrisburg in mid-October. That decision grabbed headlines locally, as it initially looked as though he would have to sit out the rest of his junior year. However, a7er a week, Parsons was cleared by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's District III. He made an instant impact at his new school, as the Cougars, who were 5-3 before he joined, reeled o5 six con- secutive wins to get to the PIAA Class 5A state championship game. "His junior year was a tough year for Micah," said his father, Terrence Parsons. "He was stressed with recruiting and he wasn't happy at [Central Dauphin]. His mother moved into the Harrisburg School District and he wanted to be with his friends there. When he was 4nally able to make that move, you could see that he was happy again." By the time his senior season began, Parsons was open to all schools, as he of- 4cially announced last April that he was no longer committed to the Nittany Lions. Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma all earned o6cial visits over the 4nal few months of his recruitment, but Penn State and Ohio State were always the clear favorites. Most reporters felt as if the Buckeyes held an edge once the season started, but that all changed during his o6cial visit to Ohio State for the game against Okla- homa in September. A7er a tough loss to the Sooners, Parsons made it clear on Twitter that he thought Urban Meyer should bench four-year starter J.T. Bar- rett for redshirt freshman Dwayne Hask- ins. His comment, which might have seemed harmless to a teenager, rubbed many the wrong way. It's possible that one of those people was Meyer himself. "I'll never forget the next day, a7er the game," Terrence Parsons said. "We were supposed to meet with Coach Meyer be- fore heading home that morning, and we never did. That's when I told his mom that I think something is up." It later was reported that Ohio State also committed a minor recruiting violation during Parsons' visit. It may never be known why Meyer and his sta5 went in a di5erent direction, but the Buckeyes' de- cision to back o5 proved to be Penn State's gain in the end. Following an un- o6cial visit to University Park the next weekend for the Lions' game against Georgia State, and continuing through early December when he made his o6cial U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L THE PARSONS FILE STATS Had 55 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss as a senior... Rushed for 1,239 yards and scored 29 o8ensive touch- downs, helping lead Harrisburg High to an 11-1 record and a Mid-Penn Commonwealth Conference title in 2017 HONORS Named a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 5 prospect nationally, No. 1 defensive end and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania... Chosen to play in the U.S. Army All- American Bowl... Named to the Pennsylvania Football Writ- ers' first-team Class 5A All-State squad his junior and senior seasons... Honored as Mid-Penn Conference O8en- sive and Defensive Player of the Year as a senior... Won the Mini Maxwell Award CLICK HERE to see video of Parsons in action. Parsons picks Lions, ending tumultuous recruitment SEE PARSONS PAGE 60 |

• Cover