Micah Parsons will not return to Penn State football, coach James Franklin confirms
Penn State head football coach James Franklin made it official — Micah Parsons has played his last snap as a Nittany Lion.
“We had great conversations with Micah and both his mom and dad,” Franklin said during Penn State’s virtual media day Wednesday afternoon. “I think there was a legitimate possibility for (him coming back) happening. But as we continued to talk and continued to work with it, the timing of it made it challenging. ... That won’t be happening. We understand the decision and — just like we were on the front end — (are) supportive of the decision.”
Franklin’s confirmation came just hours before news broke out of Minnesota that star wide receiver Rashod Bateman would be returning to play another season with the Golden Gophers, after initially opting out in August.
Parsons originally announced his intent to sit out the season at about the same time as Bateman in August, in a video with PennLive. The Big Ten made its initial decision to postpone the fall season a few days later.
“I decided I needed to make a choice, not for myself — but my son and those dearest to me,” he told PennLive. “While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we return to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season.”
Shortly after the 2020 NFL draft, the Nittany Lion linebacker was projected as a top-five pick in 2021 by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
The linebacker is the only Nittany Lion to opt out of the season thus far, with fellow projected first-round pick Pat Freiermuth announcing his intent to play after the Big Ten reversed course and announced in September it would start its fall season Oct. 24.
Parsons was named a Consensus All-American by the NCAA after a dominant 2019 season in which he tallied 109 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles. The Nittany Lion capped off the season — and his college career — with an impressive 14 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended in Penn State’s 53-39 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis in December.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 2:53 PM.
