Jasper Parker, Wolverine

 

Jasper Parker and Sherrone Moore (image via Rivals)

Marrero (LA) Archbishop Shaw running back Jasper Parker committed to Michigan on June 15, 2024. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and USC, among others.

Parker is 6'0" and 189 lbs.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 3-star, 78 grade, #42 RB
On3: 3-star, 89 grade, #31 RB
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #17 RB
247 Sports: 3-star, 87 grade, #54 RB

Hit the jump for more.

Parker was the first Archbishop Shaw product to commit in the 2025 class, but I got behind and then wrote up wide receiver teammate Jacob Washington's commitment post first (LINK). Parker was also the first running back for 2025, but I did the same for IMG Academy's Donovan Johnson (LINK). So as mentioned above, this Parker commitment is a couple weeks old at this point.

Michigan wide receivers coach Ronald Bellamy - who himself played at Michigan - attended Archbishop Shaw in high school. Parker was offered by the Wolverines in early March, visited Michigan officially from June 14-16, and then publicly committed after getting home from his visit. While he has a pretty solid offer list, his other two officials were to Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State, so those appear to have been the other major contenders.

Parker has some nice, slithery strength. He's able to step through arm tackles and get skinny when necessary to handle running in traffic. He's at his best when running between the tackles and getting north-south. There's also some unpredictability when it comes to his angles, so while he's not the most elusive back, he does have an element of surprise to make defenders second-guess whether he's going to cut back, plow ahead, pull a spin move, etc. I also like his pass protection, where he shows a willingness to stick his nose into a defender's chest, widen and lower his base, and help out the passing game. There are a couple clips of him catching the ball out of the backfield, including a downfield catch on a wheel route, that hint at an ability to help as a receiver.

Parker needs to continue to add weight to a somewhat lanky frame, and his footwork seems to be a little bit inconsistent at times in the backfield. He also carries the ball somewhat loosely - usually in his left hand - which could lead to ball security issues. His long speed is adequate, but he seems to lose his form on some of the longer runs as he starts to get a little tired. I think a good strength and conditioning program will be very helpful for him.

Overall, I see some elements of a couple different recent Michigan backs. One is Hassan Haskins; while Parker doesn't have that same strength at this point, he does make defenders question whether he's going to run through or around them. (Haskins's hurdling skills were another element to this unpredictability.) The other back I'm reminded of is Chris Evans; Evans was a scat back with deceptive strength, but his long speed was never what I expected from someone who was considered to be a potential collegiate wide receiver.

TTB Rating: 68