Parker plans to arrive in Fayetteville prepared to play

Andrew Parker

— Linebacker Andrew Parker will arrive in Fayetteville on Sunday and made it clear he is not coming in with the mindset of redshirting as a true freshman.

Parker (6-2, 230 pounds, 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash), who chose Arkansas over Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, TCU and others, wants to reward Razorbacks head coach Chad Morris and defensive coordinator John Chavis for their faith in him.

The Razorback staff was the first Power 5 school to offer Parker out of Sophie B. Wright High School in New Orleans. Several others offered afterward.

“I am coming in to play right away,” Parker said. “No matter how Coach Morris and Coach Chavis use me, whether it is special teams, defense or even if they need me on offense, I am going to be ready. They will never have to worry about me not working hard or being prepared.”

Parker, who had 107 tackles and 26 stops for lost yardage as a senior and also rushed for 276 yards on 14 carries, is one of 11 freshmen expected to report to Arkansas this weekend. They will join three freshmen who enrolled in January.

All but two players in the 2018 signing class are excepted to be on campus for the first session of summer school that begins next week. Junior college signees Dorian Gerald and Rakeem Boyd are both scheduled to arrive in July.

“I am really excited to get up there and meet new people in Fayetteville and just get ready to play the upcoming season,” Parker said. “I am really excited about playing college football and I think it is going to be a great experience. I am just ready to get the whole thing started.”

Chavis recently dropped by Sophie B. Wright to visit with Parker.

“Coach Chavis actually came by to see me where he was recruiting down here,” Parker said. “He told me I looked like I was getting a little taller and that I looked in tremendous shape.

“He is preparing me to play both the Mike and the Will linebacker spots this year.”

Parker has been preparing for the increased workload that comes with college.

“I graduated May 14, but I have been training five days a week since the season ended,” Parker said. “I have been working on my speed, my footwork and my body control, getting stronger cause I know that now I am on the college level I am going to be going up against those 6-6, 6-7, 350-pound offensive linemen in practice every day, and then in the games this season.”