Harrisburg High School’s Micah Parsons is making Penn State head coach James Franklin a very happy man on the very first day of the new early signing period. Parsons, who is a 5-star defensive end recruit, signed his National Letter of Intent Wednesday, choosing the Nittany Lions over Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The time has come I’m officially committed !!! #H2O I want want thank God for this amazing opportunity!???? pic.twitter.com/n17h2nu058
— BLESSEDMVP (@Micah_parsons23) December 20, 2017
Ohio State had been in the mix for Parsons, however, his possible life as a Buckeye ended Tuesday after reports surfaced that Ohio State self-reported a recruiting violation involving a picture Parsons took with ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit and former Ohio State running back Eddie George on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay.
Parsons’ decision brings him full circle from February 27, 2016 when he gave his verbal commitment to Franklin and then backed away from verbal in April of this year.
This season, Parsons was a standout on both sides of the ball during a season that saw the Cougars climb as high as No. 69 in the High School Football America Top 100 national rankings. Offensively, he ran for over 1,200 yards while averaging 11.4 yards per carry. He scored 27 touchdowns on the ground, plus caught two TD passes.
.@Micah_parsons23 says @coachjfranklin‘s dedication to @PennStateFball was a huge deciding factor. pic.twitter.com/TxxWZzJ1ZK
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) December 20, 2017
On defense, Parsons had 42 tackles with 17-and-a-half for a loss. He also led the team in sacks with 9.5.
Parsons is ranked the No. 4 overall recruit in the Class of 2018, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
