After graduating from prestigious Penn State, Micah Parsons is set to play his fourth year in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys—but what if his path was different? What if he went to a different school instead of the Pennsylvania juggernauts? Perhaps his future would have been very different from what it is right now.
In season 2, episode 22 of the Edge podcast on Bleacher Report, Parsons revealed that he nearly committed to a college powerhouse besides Penn State. His guest at that time was Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson, who played ball at Texas but had briefly committed to Ohio State in 2020.
Robinson’s visit to the Buckeyes’ campus left him speechless. He was in the same class as Texans QB CJ Stroud and Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As it turned out, he narrowly missed out on playing alongside Parsons.
The 26-year-old pass rusher experienced the same two years earlier when his dad chaperoned him throughout the Ohio State campus.
The facilities are crazy… I will say this publicly: I almost went to Ohio State, too. It has a certain energy to it.
Micah Parsons revealed
Parsons’ folks were infatuated by the prospect of their son joining the Buckeyes. He recalled receiving calls from Buckeyes staff, egging him on to commit.
They was like… They pressured me to commit. It was like come right now, we got one other person waiting but we want you to be our last guy… They’re good.
Parsons added
Micah Parsons nearly quit football
After declining the opportunity to play in ‘The Game’ between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines, Parsons chose to settle at Penn State, which is closer to his home in Harrisburg.
This was before college players began to earn millions through NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. Parsons recalled his first year with the Nittany Lions. He lived in the dorm with several others and received an $800 stipend every month.
Moreover, he was part of the group that worked out from 4 in the morning. The sessions were so physically challenging that a high school standout like Parsons wanted to leave everything and return home.
I almost quit football in my first two months… It was that hard bro.
Parsons said
Despite the grueling training sessions, Parsons confessed he loved his college life.
Penn State was the craziest experience of my life. To this day, I tell you like that was the best experience I have ever had in my life.
Parsons quipped
On his graduation day, the university’s associate director awarded Parsons with his degree. He achieved a ‘3.00 cumulative GPA.’ Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin said via 247 Sports,
I’ve been coaching 23 years, and the book [on this experience] will probably be five chapters on my career and then 15 chapters on the ups and downs and twists and turns, and the journey of Micah Parsons.
Parsons is now a 4x Pro Bowler, 2x First Team, and one Second Team All-Pro, and he won the defensive rookie award in 2021. Currently, he is seeking a long-term extension from the Cowboys that would make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
