Penn State football adds commitment from top 100 recruit from Alabama
Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class landed a highly-touted piece Tuesday. Four-star EDGE Tomarrion Parker announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions via his Twitter.
Parker is one of the best defensive line prospects in the country, ranking No. 6 according to the 247Sports Composite player rankings. The No. 80 overall recruit, Parker plays for Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, the same school that former Nittany Lion cornerback Christian Campbell played for before joining James Franklin’s program.
The newest addition to the class is listed at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds and has the high school production to match his size. He racked up 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks as a junior, according to his MaxPreps profile and did so while helping his team to a 13-1 record.
Parker projects as a high-level starter at the next level, according to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna’s scouting report on the four-star defensive lineman’s profile page.
“Possesses prototypical size and length at 6-foot-4 and 250-pounds,” the scouting report reads. “Has the ability to add additional weight to his frame. Positioned the majority of snaps in a two-point stance in a stand-up pass rushing edge role.
“Displays good athletic ability and a natural ability to bend the edge. Smooth mover for his size. Plays with good initial foot and body quickness. Exhibits active hands at the point of attack. Has the ability to beat you with speed or power off the edge. Flashes good lateral quickness in space and shows some ability to drop. Closes space exceptionally well for size. Demonstrates good play strength at the point of attack and flashes some power in his hands off the edge.
“Projects to a pass rushing edge role in a 3-4 and with his hand in the dirt as a five technique in a 4-3 defense. Position projection will be heavily dependent on the defensive scheme. Arrow is pointing up as the game continues to slow down for him. Projects to high level impact starter at the next level for a Power Five program.”
The four-star defender is the second defensive lineman to join the class in the last week after three-star defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding, the No. 1 player in New York in the class, announced his commitment to Penn State Friday.
Parker’s addition to the class moves it from No. 6 in the country to No. 2, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings, trailing only Notre Dame. It’s also now the top class in the Big Ten after previously trailing Ohio State.
This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 2:07 PM.
