Hawaii DE picks Colorado
Juda Parker loved his official visit to Colorado in late January so much and realized it was the place for him so waiting until National Signing Day to make his commitment seemed futile.
The Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis defensive end wanted to get the word out that the Buffaloes were the team for him.
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"The reason I picked Colorado was just the coaches came from the league and their experience," Parker said.
"The head coach played at Colorado, he coached at Colorado, he went to the league and he came back just to bring back the championships. A lot of those guys are together and they want to accomplish the same things I have goals for - winning the Pac-10 and competing for a national championship."
Parker, a 6-foot-2, 245-pound three-star prospect, also had offers from Baylor, Hawaii, New Mexico State, Oregon State, Wyoming and Weber State but ever since his visit to Colorado he said he knew that it was the right destination.
The Buffaloes new coaching staff was one of the biggest reasons why.
"The vision they have, I believe they want to get the school moving in the right direction and I have a great relationship with a lot of the coaches," Parker said.
"I know that they can prepare you for the league. I know I have to play my four years in college but a lot of the intangibles are there."
Rivals.com rates Parker as the No. 28 strong-side defensive end nationally and the second-best player in Hawaii behind Honolulu St. Louis teammate Paulay Asiata, a Washington pledge who is rumored to also be looking at the Buffaloes.
Parker has proven at multiple national events that he can be a big-time player. He excelled at the FBU Ton Gun Camp this summer and then performed surprisingly well during the week at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.