Sting Factor: Tomarrion Parker's decommitment from Penn State
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
Tomarrion Parker committed to Penn State following his official visit in June where he spent a lot of time with coach James Franklin and staff, and while it was a different environment it was one he loved.
It was a big pledge for the Nittany Lions since they’re looking for defensive linemen in this recruiting class and the four-star from Phenix City (Ala.) Central is a very talented one who had many SEC options to consider as well.
Less than two months later, Parker has backed off his pledge to Penn State.
It has been a little bit of a challenging time for Franklin and his staff, who land elite players only to see them get picked off by SEC programs.
Defensive end Neeo Avery was committed to Penn State; he’s now pledged to Ole Miss. Quarterback Marcus Stokes flipped from the Nittany Lions to Florida. Offensive lineman Joshua Miller went from PSU to Georgia. Same with receiver Yazeed Haynes, an in-state prospect who had only been pledged to the Lions for about six weeks.
Parker is the latest decommit for Penn State, which still has a top-12 class nationally and that’s a huge credit to the staff for doing so well with other prospects around the country.
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LOCAL REACTION
"This was a very big blow for Penn State, as they were already struggling with defensive line recruiting this cycle, but now they managed to lose their top-ranked defensive lineman in Parker.
"It's been a rough recruiting cycle for the Nittany Lions so far as they have already seen five decommitments, with four of them already committed to new schools within the SEC. It doesn't sound like the SEC is done poaching PSU's recruits either as Parker is rumored to be hearing a lot from local schools Alabama and Georgia.
"Why did I say a 9/10? Because it's been a rough few weeks for the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail as they lost a few commitments and saw some of their other top targets end up elsewhere. The worst part of it all, is there is no telling when the hits will stop coming as the second-highest commit for the Nittany Lions, defensive back Dakaari Nelson, recently took a trip to Ole Miss and coach James Franklin has a pretty strict no-visit rule. Keep an eye out for some new offers/targets to appear for Penn State soon." - Richard Schnyderite, NittanyNation.com
Sting factor: 9
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NATIONAL REACTION
"What’s happening with the Penn State class is not ideal especially because the Nittany Lions did win some major recruiting battles and some in the South but too often when big-time kids are committing they’re then getting picked off by SEC schools. Franklin and his staff have still done an excellent job putting together this group with a top-12 class nationally led by a bunch of high-level four-stars. But some are still in the South – Dakaari Nelson, Elliot Washington, Conrad Hussey and King Mack – so keeping those guys locked in will be the next challenge.
"It’s a compliment that SEC powers are coming after your class. It’s a sign that you’re doing the right thing. But losing these guys also hurts because even though it’s a strong class, it could have been so much stronger." - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7