Boilermaker tight end target visiting next week
After landing a Purdue scholarship offer last week, Michael Parker will be in West Lafayette early next week for an unofficial visit.
The 6-foot-6, 230-plus-pounder from Westminster Christian Academy in Huntsville, Ala., said he'll be on campus on Monday.
"I just want to kind of get to know the coaches more than anything else," Parker said. "I know Purdue's in the Big Ten and I know it's a great school, so I'm not as worried about the academic part of it. I already know that's good, but I do want to see more of the football part of it and how they see the future of the program."
Purdue became Parker's first Power 5 offer last week, when assistant coach Tony Levine extended to him that offer that brought about the plan to visit.
Along other roles, Levine is the Boilermakers' tight ends coach.
"It was my athleticism, probably," Parker said of what sold Purdue on him. "For somebody my size to be able to split out some (as a receiver), but also stay tight and block, that diversity (appealed to them), I guess."
As a junior at Westminster Academy, Parker caught 35 passes for five touchdowns and more than 550 yards.
"I definitely think my hands are probably what sets me apart from a lot of other tight ends who might be more about having their hand in the ground and blocking," Parker said. "In my offense that we run at my high school, I'm split out quite a bit, running routes and catching the ball a lot."
And, again, the athleticism.
Parker's a multi-event athlete in track and field, too, and actually took ninth place in Class 4A at the Alabama state meet this spring in the 200-meter dash, far and away the biggest participant. He ran a 23.16.
That speed, coupled with his size, has attracted offers from UCF and South Florida, among others, in addition to Purdue. Alabama, Mississippi State, Wake Forest and Illinois are among those who've also been showing interest.
"It was definitely a significant offer," Parker said, "the first Power 5 offer I've gotten, so it was definitely a big one."
He might know more about how big after next week's visit.
Whether it's Purdue or otherwise, Parker said there'll be certain criteria he'll look for in the schools he considers.
"Definitely academics and then the coaching staff, how their relationships are with the players," he said. "And then how they'd use the tight end in their offense. That'll be a huge one."
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