Five-star Micah Parsons just finished up his official visit to Ohio State and he had a great time despite the Buckeyes loss to Oklahoma. The Harrisburg, Pa. star defensive end explained that this visit sets the standard for the rest of his official visits.
IN HIS OWN WORDS...
"I got there on Friday and they had everything laid out for me," Parsons said. "They treated us really good. They had it all.
"The first night I hung out with the coaches," he said. "The second day I did everything they usually go through. I was there for warm-ups, the pregame, and understood what it’s like for them on game day.
"Meeting all the guys on College Game Day was a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Parsons. "It was probably one of the best visits I’ve on been on. It made my mom and my dad happy. The coaching staff let me know where they want me to be at and showed me the goals and standards they have for me. It really set the tone for my official visits.
"Being there for the whole day, you see the good, the bad, and how much work they put in day in and day out," he said. "For unofficial visits you just see the game and the aftermath of all the work they put in. This visit really showed their determination, the meetings, and the time they put in.
"The game itself showed me that Baker Mayfield is the real deal and their (Oklahoma's) offensive line is huge," Parsons said. "The defensive line is definitely the best part of Ohio State’s defense. They have a young team everywhere else but the defensive line is the only veteran group. People want to talk about the defensive backs but it’s hard to replace three first-rounders.
"The coaches are telling me that I could be like Baron Browning and play defensive end and linebacker or I could be like Nick Bosa and come in for a lot of pass rushing," he said. "It all depends. The played a 5-3 yesterday and they had one person standing up and dropping in some packages. I feel like I could contribute a lot to that program.
"They were down about the loss but it helped me see what kind of team they are when things don’t go their way," said Parsons. "Right before I left they were getting ready to go back to work lifting and practicing. It just shows what type of team they are and how they handle high expectations.
"The coaches didn’t seem that worried at all," he said. "They have nine more games to worry about. Coach Urban Meyer is a leader. He may be worried about the outcome but he keeps leading his team. They can still win the conference.
"I’m not sure if I’ll take an official visit this weekend," Parsons said. "I’m definitely gong to be traveling a lot for my official visits. It’s going to come down to who is playing who because I want to see some good games. I will still be at Nebraska for their game against Wisconsin.
"I’m definitely keeping an eye on Florida," he said. "I need to look at their schedule with my dad.
"I was going to try to attend the Florida State and Miami game but now I don’t know because of the hurricane," said Parsons. "I don’t know about going down to that way right now.
"I think I’m going to put a top four out in the next week or so," he said. "I’m not sure of all the teams yet."
RIVALS' REACTION
The Buckeyes still look like the favorite to land Parsons, an early enrollee, despite the disappointing loss to Oklahoma. It seemed like Parsons got a lot out of seeing how the team handled themselves and seeing everything that happens behind the scenes. Ohio State should be a lock to make Parsons' top four. Nebraska will likely make the top four as well. The other two schools are a bit unknown. Florida, Florida State, Georgia, USC, and a few others have been mentioned by Parsons at different times.
