The impact Tomarrion Parker’s commitment has for Penn State football

Story posted June 24, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Alex Rocco

Penn State landed a significant piece to its 2023 recruiting class on Tuesday afternoon. Fans were pleasantly surprised when they saw Tomarrion Parker announce his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

The four-star defensive lineman is the No. 80 player and the eighth-best defensive lineman in the 247Sports rankings. He quickly becomes the blue and white’s highest-rated commit on defense and the third top 100 player in its class.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Parker has the ability to beat linemen with speed or power off the edge. ​​

With the addition of star edge, Penn State has the No. 4 class in the nation and is gaining momentum for several other top prospects.

Parker’s commitment fills an area of concern for the Nittany Lions as their defensive end board appeared slim.

After decommitting from the program in late March, Neeo Avery decided not to include the blue and white in his new top six, and Mason Robinson, who seemed like a lock to join Penn State, committed to fellow Big Ten foe Northwestern.

Defensive line coach John Scott Jr knew an upgrade at the position was necessary, and after the addition of Parker, the defensive end position went from an area of weakness to a major strength.

Penn State’s group coming off the edge has the potential of being elite for many campaigns after bringing in five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton in the 2022 class and in this offseason adding Maryland transfer Demeioun Robinson, who was a five-star recruit in 2021.

Throw in four-star Ken Talley, who committed in 2022, and Jameial Lyons in 2023, and the Nittany Lions are looking to wreak havoc on their opponents' backfields with this talented core.

Parker took his official visit this past weekend, and once again, James Franklin and his staff worked their magic.

Last year the Nittany Lions dominated recruiting in the summer months, landing several top players, which led them to have the eighth-best class.

They're continuing that success this season as the Phenix City, Alabama, native joins wide receiver Yazeed Haynes and fellow defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding as the third player to join the program in June.

After committing, Parker announced he was shutting down his recruitment even though he had upcoming visits to Florida and Tennessee.

To convince a prospect to shut down his recruitment despite holding offers from almost every team in the SEC and fellow Big Ten rivals after one visit is rare and impressive for Penn State.

Recruiting an elite player such as Parker is what the Nittany Lions need to do to take the next step as a program.

In the 2023 class, the blue and white hadn't been in many serious recruiting battles as it seemed to be the favorite for most of its commitments.

However, what made its 2022 class so talented was that it won major recruiting battles such as beating out Alabama and Georgia for Dennis-Sutton, Notre Dame for Drew Allar and Notre Dame, Alabama and Texas A&M for Nick Singleton.

Parker is a huge get for Penn State as he plays a premium position, is rated highly and lives in the heart of SEC country.

With offers from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, Parker could’ve easily chosen to join a powerhouse, but instead, he decided to come to Happy Valley.

The Nittany Lions are recruiting at a level many haven’t seen before, and the class should only get better as the summer continues. 

With the blue and white trending in a positive direction for players such as Tony Rojas, Ta’Mere Robinson and Treyuan Webb, the sky's the limit for its 2023 class.

Alex Rocco is a rising third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email alex.rocco1702@gmail.com.