Penn State’s 2018 Breakout Player: Micah Parsons

To be frank with you, I really did not envision myself writing a piece on Micah Parsons being one of Penn State’s breakout players for 2018. That’s because I figured he was either going to be suiting up for Ohio State or some other blue-blood program not named Penn State. As just about every one of you who follow Penn State football recruiting knows by now, Micah’s recruitment was one big roller coaster that saw him initially commit in February of 2016, only to de-commit a year later in April 2017.

After flirting with and appearing to be all but officially on board with Ohio State though, things took an interesting turn last Fall when the Buckeyes dropped their pursuit of Micah after self-reporting NCAA violations on their part in recruiting him. Miraculously, Micah would eventually come around and re-commit during the early signing period in December of last year via a killer commitment video. He then enrolled at PSU since January, participating in Spring conditioning and in the Blue & White game, in which he rocked the vaunted #11 jersey and showcased glimpses of the his sheer athleticism that earned him the jersey in the first place, garnering several tackles (including the one pictured above in the cover photo).

The video below of his senior season high school highlights should help serve as a friendly reminder of the type of athleticism Micah brings to the table. To be that fast and nimble as a 6’3” 235-pounder will get you a much-deserved five-star rating from 247 Sports. Not to mention the fact that he played several positions in his high school career (Defensive End, Linebacker, Running Back, and Wide Receiver).

Due to an already-loaded DE corps and a lack of depth at the linebacker spot, Micah was moved to linebacker upon arriving to Happy Valley. You can expect him to fight for (and possibly earn) a starting spot at one of the outside LB positions with the likes of Koa Farmer, fellow early enrollee Jesse Luketa, and Cam Brown. No doubt, there will be a learning curve and some growing pains as he gets adjusted to the college game, but athletes like Micah don’t grow on trees, and the first time he closes in on a ball carrier or blows past an opposing offensive linemen en route to sacking the quarterback will showcase why he is truly a special talent and a candidate for a breakout player in 2018.