Hawkeyes flip OL transfer Daijon Parker
Offensive lineman Daijon Parker is going to be a Hawkeye. A graduate transfer from Saginaw Valley State, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Parker was previously committed to Virginia, but flipped to Iowa after an official visit to campus this past week.
“What led to my decision was the fact that I have a lot of ties with the program due to the fact that Coach Barnett knows a lot of people who coached me,” Parker told HawkeyeReport.com. “Also, Kaevon Merriweather, one of my good friends, previously played there and the opportunity at Iowa would be great due to the fact that they develop offensive linemen well.”
Originally from Detroit, Parker played both right and left tackle during his time at Saginaw Valley State. In November, he entered the transfer portal and quickly picked up scholarship offers from Iowa, Virginia, Washington State, Tulane, Colorado State, Kent State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State, Miami (OH), and Toledo, among others.
In early December, Parker verbally committed to Virginia, but since then the Cavaliers lost their offensive line coach, Garett Tujague, to NC State and are still looking for a replacement. After deciding to re-evaluate his options, Parker now has a new home in Iowa City where he will start classes on January 17. Coming in, he has one year of eligibility remaining.
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Impact for the Hawkeyes
As the Hawkeyes look to jumpstart their offense in 2023, an upgrade upfront on the offensive line is much needed. This week, the Iowa coaching staff had both Parker and Stanford transfer Walter Rouse on campus with hopes of adding both ideally. In Parker, they are getting a player that has played on both sides of the line with starting experience at left and right tackle and the ability to come in at semester and work with the team during spring practice.
Overall, Parker is the fifth addition from the transfer portal for the Hawkeyes this recruiting cycle, joining quarterbacks Cade McNamara and Deacon Hill, tight end Erick All, and wide receiver Seth Anderson. Iowa’s top remaining targets are Rouse and wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, who visited in December.
