Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons made a revelation about his collegiate career. The four-time Pro Bowler played for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Despite being regarded as one of the NFL’s top defensive players, Parsons was originally supposed to be a two-way star—similar to Travis Hunter.
Micah Parsons Reveals Why He Played LB at Penn State
On Friday, Parsons sat down for an interview with Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry during Super Bowl week in New Orleans. During their conversation, the Cowboys linebacker revealed that Penn State initially lured him with the idea of playing offense before transitioning him to the linebacker position.
#Giants apparently lied to Micah Parsons.
A Dave Gettleman special.
— The Giants Report (@giantsreport1) February 6, 2025
Parsons also shared that when he opted out of his junior season due to COVID-19 concerns, head coach James Franklin attempted to entice him to return by offering him a role on offense.
“They lied to me,” Parsons said. “They told me I could play offense. When I got there… it was, ‘You need to learn linebacker first.’ So freshman year, I was like, you know, a little defense. Learned it. Sophomore year, broke out.”
“Junior year, COVID happened. I go into James’ (Franklin’s) office, and I was like, ‘Coach, you know, I’m thinking about heading into the draft. I don’t know what to do.’ He was like, ‘Well, you can play offense now.’ I was supposed to be Travis Hunter before Travis Hunter.”
Parsons ended up playing two seasons for the Nittany Lions, recording 192 total tackles and 6.5 sacks. He was named a consensus All-American during the 2019 season. Despite playing offense in high school, the Cowboys star made the best of his situation and became one of the league’s most feared defensive players.
Micah Parsons Talks About Offer From Alabama and Why He Rejected It
Henry, who won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama in 2015, used the opportunity to ask Parsons about his recruitment. Parsons revealed that he was offered the chance to play running back for Nick Saban’s team but ultimately turned it down for several reasons.
His first reason?
The Alabama heat.
The second?
The grueling workouts under Saban.
“I’m going to tell you now, and this is God’s honest truth, I went to Bama for four days,” Parsons said. “I went out there. I said, ‘Let me go see what it’s like down South.’ I’m from up North. It was so hot… so hot. The workout conditions were so treacherous that I said there’s no way in hell I could survive out here.”
“Yo, I saw the workout, and I was like, ‘I’m good.’ I was like, ‘Dang, they really work over here.’ I definitely appreciate it… but by the weekend, I was just like, ‘I don’t think I can make it.’ It was just too much, and I said, ‘It ain’t for me. Bama ain’t for everybody.'”
KEEP READING: Saquon Barkley’s Explosive Penn State Career
Parsons said he enjoyed his two seasons at Penn State. While he never got to play offense, he discovered a side of himself he might not have known existed.
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