Micah Parsons opens up on his decision to leave Penn State early

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons gave an interview for the ages this week at Ticketstock 2023. Opening up on a wide range of topics, Parsons went particularly in-depth on how he arrived at the decision to leave Penn State early when he realized he had the potential to go high in the NFL Draft.

The second-year Cowboys star came into the league after taking the 2020 season off. He had posted 192 tackles, including 19 for loss, and six forced fumbles in the two years prior.

“I needed another year to explode,” Parsons admitted. “So, my freshman year I was behind a senior. I slowly was working my way into the roster, slowly learned the playbook, so by the end of the year I won the job. That was kind a me exploding toward the Cotton Bowl (2019 Outstanding Defensive Player), like look at the final four games and Cotton Bowl, I was like uprising, right.

“So we were coming into the next season I earned the job, and I was keep climbing, and as the year progressed I was like, keep getting better with the more experience. You got to realize when I got to college that was my first time playing linebacker, especially under the system. I was always the running back, edge, so I was learning the position.”

Cowboys strike gold with Parsons pick

Although the Nittany Lions staff tried to sway him by telling him he’d be more involved in rushing the quarterback, ultimately, a wise word from his mentor solidified him against opting in.

“And then COVID hit (2020), and it was like, ‘Yeah Mike you’re gonna be a Top 10 player in the draft,'” Parsons continued. “And I said, ‘Well, see ya Penn State.’ And that year the thing that was going to bring me back was they said, ‘Well we’ll blitz you more, we’ll rush you more, we’ll show everyone what you got.’ So I was like, ‘Dang I do want to do that,’ but then LaVar Arrington, my mentor, said, ‘So you’ll win all those trophies, but they only collect dust, so don’t even worry about it.’ I said, ‘Damn, you’re right,’ so then I went into the pros.”

The Cowboys drafted Parsons at No. 12 overall without even knowing the full scope of his abilities.

Although initially, Parsons wasn’t sure what he’d be able to do against NFL-caliber offensive linemen, early tests in the preseason proved Dan Quinn could count on him to blitz and rush with the best of them.

In two seasons for Dallas, Parsons has a defensive rookie of the year award to his name and 26.5 sacks.