Florida State impresses QB commit Chris Parson at spring game

Parson goes into detail on his experience at the spring game and continued efforts on the recruiting trail.

The Seminoles entered the spring with four commitments in their 2023 class; quarterback Chris Parson, tight end Randy Pittman, wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs, and defensive end Lamont Green Jr.

Over the last six weeks, two more prospects, wide receiver Goldie Lawrence and defensive tackle KJ Sampson, have pledged their services to the Tribe. With summer approaching, the program is in prime position to land multiple commitments leading up to the fall.

A position that the coaching staff won't have to worry about on the trail is the quarterback spot. Chris Parson committed to Florida State on his birthday last summer and has remained steadfast in his decision since.

READ MORE: The Chris Parson Journal: Chapter Four

Earlier this month, he returned to Tallahassee for the third time thus far in 2022 to check out the spring game. From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, he had a jam-packed schedule. 

"Today was awesome," Parson said. "I got up here around 1 and met coach Tokarz, the rest of the coaches. Chilled with them, talked some football, got to meet some recruits and commits. We chilled in the indoor facility. Came out and watched the spring game, there were a lot of good things to see out there. Then we came back, I chilled with coach Atkins for a little bit. We've just been out here kicking it man, having a good time, having fun, and I'm enjoying it."

Parson was also on campus in March for the first day of spring practice. His visit for the exhibition gave him an opportunity to see the improvements that the quarterbacks made from March 5 to April 9. He was impressed by the signs he saw from starting signal-caller Jordan Travis and the competition between the unit.

"I saw them competing. Whenever I talk to coach Tokarz, him and I, we go over the practices," Parson said. "He tells me whatever he's working on with the quarterbacks. That's really what I was paying attention to today. I feel like a lot of people, they don't realize that today was still a practice for them. So, they were just working on certain things. When you've got the insight, you pay attention to other things. That's really what I was doing. I saw certain things that he was working with Jordan that I saw today that were pretty good. It was fun."

Outside of the quarterbacks, Parson noticed what everyone else inside of Doak Campbell Stadium witnessed during the spring game, transfer running back Trey Benson is ready to make an impact. The number of young guys making plays stood out too.

"Trey Benson. He was toting that rock today, pretty impressive," Parson said. "I wanted to watch him, seeing him sometimes in practice you don't get a full glimpse. Today was a gamelike situation, you saw he balled out. Also the cornerbacks, they were really good today. A lot of young guys stepped up big time so I was really impressed with them."

Throughout the game, the fanbase showed Parson a lot of love. Fans were coming up to him in the stands for pictures and autographs. That continued after things wrapped up when Parson spent a significant amount of time outside of the Moore Center fraternizing with fans.

"It was great. That was really the highlight of my day," Parson said. "Just seeing fans come up to me, asking for pictures and autographs. I don't take that lightly. It means a lot to me so that was a cool thing to see, just sitting in the stands and people coming up. That was part of the reason I came down here. Some fans had hit me up on Twitter and said they wanted to take pictures. I'm not going to turn any fans down."

Two other high school quarterbacks were in attendance for Florida State's spring game, 2024 prospects, Luke Kromenhoek and Jadyn Davis. Kromenhoek is committed to the Seminoles while Davis is one of the top prospects on the board for the coaching staff. Parson spent time with both of them on the visit.

"I spoke to both of them," Parson said. "Luke, he's a commit. Him and I got really close last time we were down here visiting so I got to chill with him today. I talked to Jadyn as well. Big time quarterback, I've heard a lot of great things about him. It was great to meet him and his family. I know how serious it can be during this time so it was great they got the chance to get up here."

The Mississippi native continues to do his part on the recruiting trail for the Seminoles. He spent a lot of time with uncommitted offensive linemen, Roderick Kearney and Tommy Kinsler, prior to the spring game. Parson and fellow commit, tight end Randy Pittman, teamed up to make their pitch.

"I talked to Tommy Kinsler a lot, Roderick Kearney, KJ Kirkland, a lot of guys. I was just recruiting man. I was with my guy Randy Pittman and we were doing our part, doing whatever we could to reel those guys in. I think we did a pretty good job today and I think we got a good shot at a lot of those guys."

So, what exactly is the message that Parson, Pittman, and other recruits that are committed to Florida State are giving to other players across the country?

"The Climb. The same thing coach Norvell's been preaching," Parson said. "Florida State is going to continue to get better. We're going to start winning games and turn this thing around. If coach Norvell wants you on campus, they want you to be a part of something special. That's what we're going to do here. That's what my pitch to these guys is. Come here to Florida State, we're going to turn this thing around and we're going to win us a national championship."

Towards the end of April, Florida State's 2022 class holds six commitments and is ranked No. 14 in the country according to 247Sports. Parson thinks they're doing a good job of targeting a group of elite prospects that they want to join the tribe.

"I feel like we're coming along really well," Parson said. "We've got Goldie, committed a few weeks ago. KJ Sampson, committed last time I was down here visiting. We're just going to keep adding guys man. We got our group of guys that we really want to come here and we're just on them heavy. We're recruiting them hard and hopefully they join the Tribe."

It's been nearly nine months since the 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback committed to Florida State. Despite that, he says the coaching staff has continued to pursue him as they would any other recruit. Parson speaks to quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz basically every single day. He's also in weekly contact with head coach Mike Norvell and is building a relationship with new offensive coordinator Alex Atkins.

"The relationships that I have here with the coaches are second to none. Even after I committed, they still recruit me really hard and we get closer daily," Parson said. "I talk to coach Tokarz every single day, we facetime pretty much every single day. He shows me the packages of that day and stuff like that. Him and I are really close, sometimes we just hop on the phone and we don't even talk about football, we just talk about life. I love that. Coach Atkins, real family type of guy, I love talking to him. Coach Norvell, he's all about family and relationships. That's a big part with me. I'm a big family guy. I'm big on relationships. That was part of the reason I committed to Florida State so early. I felt the love when I got here and it's stayed the same."

Earlier this year, former offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach, Kenny Dillingham, was hired in the same role by Oregon. In his place, Norvell elevated Tokarz to Florida State's next quarterback's coach. The move didn't phase Parson and his commitment has become even stronger since then.

"It didn't phase me. It actually got even better with coach Tokarz," Parson said. "Him and I are super, super close. I got a lot of love for him. Great guy, great person. I actually feel like my commitment to Florida State got even stronger with him. Coach Tokarz, that's my dog."

READ MORE: Former Florida State linebacker announces transfer to new program

The offseason has been a constant grind for Parson. Whether it's workouts in Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, or track, he's been doing everything in his power since his junior season ended to improve. Parson isn't just looking at his efforts as an opportunity to put himself in a position for a standout final high school season, he also sees it as a jumpstart on honing in what he'll need to do in college.

"Understanding that I can always be better," Parson said. "I look at guys like Tom Brady, I see him still working even coming out of retirement. I understand that I haven't arrived yet and there's still a lot of work to be done. That pushes me all of the time, and I just want to keep getting better. I understand the games going to be way harder and it's going to change a lot once I get up here to Tallahassee. I keep that in mind whenever I'm training or whenever I work out. Whenever I feel like I can just lay down and be lazy, that kind of wakes me up and brings me back to reality."

Next up on the docket is a chance to compete at the Elite 11 Regional in Nashville on May 15. This is what Parson has been preparing for over the past few months and he's ready to seize the moment.

"Super excited," Parson said. "I didn't play baseball or basketball this year because I wanted to train for that. I've just been putting in work back home at Ravenwood and looking forward to that day."

The Ravenwood High School product is planning to take multiple visits to Florida State throughout the summer. He is not considering other trips at this time and is focused on building #Tribe22.

Stick with NoleGameday for more updates on Parson throughout his senior season.

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