SE: Parker Continues Making Most of Opportunity with K-State Football
Sep 06, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
AJ Parker was in his senior English class in Bartlesville, Oklahoma when he got the opportunity he always dreamed of.
An all-state defensive back, two-way star and three-sport athlete, Parker had zero Power Five offers less than a week before national signing day. He was committed to Air Force, but he was also holding out hope for something that might not come.
K-State had shown interest in Parker during the recruiting process. Some Wildcat coaches had traveled south to watch some of his basketball games — he played for Clent Stewart, a former K-State men's basketball player — but Parker still found himself on the bubble of K-State's scholarship offers.
Eventually, Parker said he was told the last spot for the 2016 Class was in the hands of a player from New Orleans, Louisiana. If that player went elsewhere, the last spot became Parker's.
"I had his Twitter up and everything," Parker recalled. "I remember I was in my English class and I got a notification that said he committed to Tulane."
About 10 minutes later, Parker said former K-State defensive coordinator Tom Hayes called him with the official scholarship offer. A few days later, he signed his national letter of intent.
"It was just a blessing for me," Parker said, "a wonderful moment in my life."
It was all he ever wanted, a chance to prove himself at the highest level. He grew up on Big 12 football. He always believed he belonged at that level, even if his scholarship offers did not reflect it.
"When you get opportunities like that, I just don't want to take it for granted," he said. "This is the opportunity kids dream of. I just wanted to come here and give it my best shot, put my best foot forward time and time again, and just see where it goes."
Where it went was a steady progression of improvement.
After a redshirt season, Parker earned four starts — two at nickel and two at corner — in 2017. Last year, he started all 12 games and finished fourth on the team in tackles (63), second in interceptions (2) and second in passes broken up (6).
Parker, now a redshirt junior and K-State's most experienced corner on the team, views this season no differently than his first.
"I just see this season as another opportunity to show everybody what I can do and who I am as a person and as a player," he said. "I feel like this is a big season for me because it's a season where I have experience under my belt, I'm in a leadership role and now I can go out and play football, play freely, play loosely, and play my style of game."
Leading up to this point, Parker followed a pair of NFL Draft picks from K-State's secondary in D.J. Reed in 2018 and Duke Shelley this past spring — both still on NFL rosters. He credited each, along with former safety Dante Barnett, for maintaining his self-belief early in his career.
"They really just told me, 'You can play here. You got it,'" Parker said. "So, I just got to work, working with them, picking their brains. Every year, I just kept getting better and kept understanding the game of football better. I just kept getting better and kept getting better."
Senior safety Denzel Goolsby said Parker's always stood out in one way: He wants criticism.
"He will constantly ask people around him to get on him and critique him. He'll come up to me sometimes before practice and say, 'Hey, Denzel, if I'm not doing this at practice, let me know,'" Goolsby said. "He's always looking for his edge, and I think his edge is constantly wanting to be the best. He's always looking for how he can improve, and he'll ask people around him what those ways are. He'll go in and he'll always talk to coaches about what he can get better at."
Furthering his point, Goolsby referred to Parker's interception in K-State's 49-14 win against Nicholls last week. It was on K-State's second defensive play of the game and permanently shifted the momentum.
"I haven't heard him talk about it once after. He's focused now on how he can make a play like that this coming week," Goolsby said. "I think that's what's special about AJ, because a lot of times people will kind of live in that moment too long. But he never does."
This offseason, Parker focused on expanding his knowledge of the game and improving his preparation process. He also had to learn a new defensive system. Parker's taken it all in stride, continuing to elevate his game.
"He's always taking care of his business," cornerbacks coach Van Malone said. "He's always where he's supposed to be. He's always practicing the right way."
Parker traced his continuous upward trajectory back to his recruiting process. He said it helped forge a mindset in him, one akin to phrases he has heard since K-State head coach Chris Klieman was hired.
"I was just working and trying to get better every day," Parker said. "Then Coach Klieman came in talking about 'Pound The Stone,' so I just tried every day to go and get a little bit better. Once you get a little bit better, get a little bit better, then when it's all said and done, you take a step back and you see what you built."
AJ Parker was in his senior English class in Bartlesville, Oklahoma when he got the opportunity he always dreamed of.
An all-state defensive back, two-way star and three-sport athlete, Parker had zero Power Five offers less than a week before national signing day. He was committed to Air Force, but he was also holding out hope for something that might not come.
K-State had shown interest in Parker during the recruiting process. Some Wildcat coaches had traveled south to watch some of his basketball games — he played for Clent Stewart, a former K-State men's basketball player — but Parker still found himself on the bubble of K-State's scholarship offers.
Eventually, Parker said he was told the last spot for the 2016 Class was in the hands of a player from New Orleans, Louisiana. If that player went elsewhere, the last spot became Parker's.
"I had his Twitter up and everything," Parker recalled. "I remember I was in my English class and I got a notification that said he committed to Tulane."
About 10 minutes later, Parker said former K-State defensive coordinator Tom Hayes called him with the official scholarship offer. A few days later, he signed his national letter of intent.
"It was just a blessing for me," Parker said, "a wonderful moment in my life."
It was all he ever wanted, a chance to prove himself at the highest level. He grew up on Big 12 football. He always believed he belonged at that level, even if his scholarship offers did not reflect it.
"When you get opportunities like that, I just don't want to take it for granted," he said. "This is the opportunity kids dream of. I just wanted to come here and give it my best shot, put my best foot forward time and time again, and just see where it goes."
Where it went was a steady progression of improvement.
After a redshirt season, Parker earned four starts — two at nickel and two at corner — in 2017. Last year, he started all 12 games and finished fourth on the team in tackles (63), second in interceptions (2) and second in passes broken up (6).
Parker, now a redshirt junior and K-State's most experienced corner on the team, views this season no differently than his first.
"I just see this season as another opportunity to show everybody what I can do and who I am as a person and as a player," he said. "I feel like this is a big season for me because it's a season where I have experience under my belt, I'm in a leadership role and now I can go out and play football, play freely, play loosely, and play my style of game."
Leading up to this point, Parker followed a pair of NFL Draft picks from K-State's secondary in D.J. Reed in 2018 and Duke Shelley this past spring — both still on NFL rosters. He credited each, along with former safety Dante Barnett, for maintaining his self-belief early in his career.
"They really just told me, 'You can play here. You got it,'" Parker said. "So, I just got to work, working with them, picking their brains. Every year, I just kept getting better and kept understanding the game of football better. I just kept getting better and kept getting better."
Senior safety Denzel Goolsby said Parker's always stood out in one way: He wants criticism.
"He will constantly ask people around him to get on him and critique him. He'll come up to me sometimes before practice and say, 'Hey, Denzel, if I'm not doing this at practice, let me know,'" Goolsby said. "He's always looking for his edge, and I think his edge is constantly wanting to be the best. He's always looking for how he can improve, and he'll ask people around him what those ways are. He'll go in and he'll always talk to coaches about what he can get better at."
Furthering his point, Goolsby referred to Parker's interception in K-State's 49-14 win against Nicholls last week. It was on K-State's second defensive play of the game and permanently shifted the momentum.
"I haven't heard him talk about it once after. He's focused now on how he can make a play like that this coming week," Goolsby said. "I think that's what's special about AJ, because a lot of times people will kind of live in that moment too long. But he never does."
This offseason, Parker focused on expanding his knowledge of the game and improving his preparation process. He also had to learn a new defensive system. Parker's taken it all in stride, continuing to elevate his game.
"He's always taking care of his business," cornerbacks coach Van Malone said. "He's always where he's supposed to be. He's always practicing the right way."
Parker traced his continuous upward trajectory back to his recruiting process. He said it helped forge a mindset in him, one akin to phrases he has heard since K-State head coach Chris Klieman was hired.
"I was just working and trying to get better every day," Parker said. "Then Coach Klieman came in talking about 'Pound The Stone,' so I just tried every day to go and get a little bit better. Once you get a little bit better, get a little bit better, then when it's all said and done, you take a step back and you see what you built."
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