Devin Parrish is finding a new lease on life. As a high school cornerback at Miami Gulliver Prep, Parrish was a solid player, recruited by some big time programs. Grades sidetracked him to Milford Academy in New Berlin, New York, where he has straightened out his grades and become even more of a hot commodity.
He has three interceptions and fourteen tackles at Milford in four games. His team is 4-0 playing against small colleges like Hudson Valley, Lehigh, Wagner, and Bucknell. The cousin of former Miami Hurricane Roscoe Parrish would be considered big for the cornerback position at 6-1 and 180 pounds. He has gained approximately 20 pounds in a year and says he maintained his speed at somewhere around a 4.4 seconds in the forty yard dash.
Maybe the most significant change for Parrish is his scholastics. Parrish has been really busy in the classroom making up for past transgressions. He plans to enroll in the early period at whatever school he plans to go to.
“I will be out of here by December so I can play spring ball for whatever team,” Parrish said. “My GPA is at a 2.3 I just need to get to a 2.5 and I am out of here. We are on a quarter system and I had four A’s and a Blast quarter.
There are some big time programs that are looking at Parrish right now and he currently has a top five of Minnesota, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Florida. He has something to say about each.
MINNESOTA: “Coach Bray just makes me feel like I will be at home when I go there.”
MICHIGAN STATE: “They have been on me hard since I have been here. I had two interceptions in my first game and since then they were on me hard. I am going up there this week to see them play Notre Dame.”
MIAMI: “I am from Miami. Coach Christobal has been recruiting me hard and for a long time.”
FLORIDA: “Hopefully (teammate and Miami commitment) LeSean McCoy and I are coming up there next week for the Alabama game. I really like Florida a lot. Coach Doc Holliday has been recruiting me since last year also. I really like the Gators. It is really convenient for me. I would love to play in The Swamp, one of the hardest places in the country to play. I would love to make that happen.”
OHIO STATE: “I just started talking to them and I have to see what is up with them.”
Parrish thinks he has a lot to offer the college he chooses. He is looking to make an impact early, wherever that is.
“I can do whatever,” he said. “If they want me to play bump and run I can. I don’t have too many weaknesses but I will just stay working on my footwork. We do a lot of those drills up here.”
He also knows what he is looking for.
“I want to feel like I am at home,” he said. “I believe I can play early. I am not in high school, and I think coaches can see that I am playing at a higher level. I believe I am ready, my body is ready.”
The Florida Gators are looking to sign at least three cornerbacks to replace the losses in the secondary they will have after the 2006 season. Devin Parrish is a new name on the board for recruitniks and one we will have to follow closely here at GatorCountry.com.