Adam Friedman joined Rivals.com as the East Coast Recruiting Analyst in 2012 and covers D1 CFB recruits from SC to Maine & out to PA & WV. Media requests- RivalsFriedman@gmail.com
Rivals100 offensive lineman Aaryn Parks is ready to announce his commitment at 1 p.m. ET today live on Rivals.com. The former Penn State commit out of Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy has taken a number of visits since opening up his recruitment and plenty of major Power Five programs have been pushing to get his commitment.
With three finalists of Alabama, North Carolina and Oklahoma, Parks has made up his mind and chose Rivals to reveal his decision. He broke down his three finalists, explaining why each has a chance of landing his commitment leading up to today's commitment announcement.
Alabama: “The coaches have shown me so much love ever since I got the offer. I had to work for it and go down to their camp. I feel like they're one of the best programs in college football and I would love to bring my physicality and my leadership down there. I feel like I would fit perfectly down there.”
North Carolina: “We go way back. I have a few family members that went there. Coach (Stacy) Searels and I get along well. My grandmother's going to be moving down there soon. I really think that could be a good fit with me and I think they only have a few offensive linemen committed and I feel like if I go down there, I can make something happen.”
Oklahoma: “Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh and I we have like a like a father-son relationship. Coach Lincoln (Riley) and I talk almost everyday. I just think Oklahoma's really known for producing linemen. Coach B and I, we both love that physicality, we love aggressiveness, and I feel if I go down there, he can make me into an NFL Pro. The atmosphere when they played Houston, that wasn't really a big team but the atmosphere was crazy for the first game. I just want to really see how it looks when they face big teams like they have coming up.”
A lot of people have Parks pegged as a Sooner but it may not be as cut and dry as they think. North Carolina has been one of Parks’ favorite teams since he was a kid and he’s been on campus there more than the other two finalists. MackBrown has been recruiting at an impressive rate and it wouldn’t be the least bit shocking if Parks ended up picking the Tar Heels, especially with his grandmother moving to the area.
The Sooners did do a great job with Parks when he was there for his official visit but the draw of Alabama can’t be overlooked here. The Crimson Tide are working hard to recruit a couple of Parks’ teammates and he knows their interest is genuine.
Parks isn’t letting anything slip out before his announcement so be sure to keep an eye out for his announcement on Thursday.
