Report: Micah Parsons to opt out of 2020 season
Parsons will reportedly announce on Wednesday his plans to train for the NFL Draft
After a few days of speculation, Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday evening that All-American linebacker Micah Parsons is expected opt out of the upcoming season to train for the 2021 NFL Draft. His decision is expected to be made official Wednesday morning.
A native of Harrisburg, Pa., Parsons burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2018, leading the team in tackles (83) without ever starting a game. He followed that up with an even better season in 2019, totaling 109 tackles, five sacks, five pass deflections, four forced fumbles and one recovery. He also had his best performance of the year on the biggest stage, totaling 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. A consensus All-American, Parsons was also the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year in the Big Ten. He's now projected to be a top 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Coming out of high school, Parsons was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com. He totaled 22 scholarship offers, including Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and USC. Parsons originally committed to the Nittany Lions in Feb. 2016, only to open up his recruitment two months later. Ohio State instantly became a serious contender, although he also took official visits to Georgia, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Parsons waited until the early signing period to end his recruitment, committing to Penn State on Dec. 20, 2017. He signed that same day.
Parsons wouldn't be the first Big Ten player to announce this. On Tuesday, Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman posted on Twitter that he would also be skipping out on the 2020 season. He was preceded by Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, who announced his plans to train for the draft last week. All three players are expected to go in the first-round.
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