4-star RB Jamarion Parker locks in Nebraska official visit
A day after decommitting from Arkansas, Saint Louis Cardinal Ritter four-star running back Jamarion Parker has locked in an official visit to Nebraska (June 21-23).
Parker had initially committed to the Razorbacks on September 1. According to On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons, a key reason why he chose the Razorbacks was because of associate head coach/running backs coach Jimmy Smith. Following Arkansas’ 2023 season, Smith departed Fayetteville for TCU to become the Horned Frogs’ running backs coach. This move played a pivotal role in Parker deciding to back off his pledge to Arkansas.
“I started thinking about this when coach Jimmy Smith left for TCU,” Parker told On3. “… With coach Smith leaving, I feel like it is time to open up my recruitment.”
Big 12 and Big Ten schools are now in pursuit of Parker
The Razorbacks are still showing “a lot of interest” in Parker, who is being pursued by multiple schools following his decommitment. They include Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and TCU.
The 6-foot-0, 185-pound tailback has already set visits to the Cornhuskers and Horned Frogs for later in the spring. His trip to Fort Worth will likely offer a chance to reunite with Smith in person.
“He is a real coach and he’s been on me hard since freshman year,” Parker told On3 in September about Smith. “He always lets me know how much they want me and we have built a connection. I have great talks with him and we have a great connection now. He is real and I like him a lot.”
More on Nebraska Cornhuskers recruiting
The Huskers currently have just three in-state commitments in the 2025 cycle. Omaha Millard North three-star safety Caden VerMaas, Omaha North three-star defensive lineman Tyson Terry and Wahoo Bishop Neumann three-star running back Conor Booth make up the trio of pledges.
Nebraska hit it big on the recruiting trail in December, as it flipped Buford (Ga.) 2024 five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia. The No. 3 signal-caller in the cycle headlines a group of 27 signees — resulting in the No. 24 class in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
Logan (Iowa) Magnolia four-star interior offensive lineman Grant Brix flanks as a fellow top-100 recruit. Other top signees in the class for Rhule and Co. include DeSoto (Texas) four-star cornerback Mario Buford, Altair (Texas) Rice Consolidated three-star safety Roger Gradney and Bellevue (Neb.) West three-star wide receiver Dae’vonn Hall.