Parker is one of the top wide receivers in the state. Turn on the film, it’s easy to see why. The Iowa commit had another monster game last Friday in IC Catholic’s win over Marist. Parker had 114 yards on 6 catches and scored once. He has blazing speed and is incredibly smooth after the catch. Parker sees a lot of targets over the middle of the field, as the 5’11 standout can find holes in zone coverage and gain yards after the catch by outrunning defenders to the edge or getting vertical and making a cut to juke out multiple defenders. Long story short, Parker is tough to tackle in the open field. As IC continues to roll, so does Parker in his final season.

Parker is an elite wide receiver who gave his commitment to Iowa in June. The 5’11, 170 lbs speedster totaled 17 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards in his junior campaign. Parker can absolutely fly, as he is one of the state’s most dangerous threats with the ball in his hand. Every play, regardless of situation, Parker can turn a vertical ball or tunnel screen into a touchdown. He is extremely shifty, using his tremendous vision to juke defenders in the open field. Parker possesses a rare combination of speed and quickness, which translates to his route running and gaining yards after the catch. He also has soft hands that allow him to catch the ball with ease. Plain and simple, Parker is a playmaker who will be even more impressive in his senior season.

Committed: Iowa

To round off this PrepRedzoneIL recruiting feature we’re heading back to IC Catholic Prep for their 5’11, 170 lb. WR/DB KJ Parker KJ Parker 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH IC Catholic | 2024 State IL . It’s been a spread out recruiting process so far for Mr. Parker, who earned two P5 offers in 2021 and another in 2022, and is seeing things pick up again in 2023 with Marshall, Northern Illinois, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Western Michigan, and Ohio all offering up since the new year has kicked off. The two-way contributor posted 37 receptions for 1,082 yards and 17 TDs en-route to conference POY and All-State honors as a wideout, and on film he was a big play machine in each and every one of ICCP’s 2022 contests, including the state championship game. Watching him eat up DBs cushions would give me nightmares as a hypothetical opposing DC, and I also love how he tracks and plays the ball in the air, showing gracefulness in plucking the ball out of the air while maintaining his balance and allowing himself to continue forward for big gains after the catch. He’s also elusive after the catch, is shifty at the LOS in his releases, and shows a willingness to block as well. The production and the film align in exciting fashion and Parker should see more P5 offers rolling in sooner rather than later. ICCP has a great thing going!

2022 Stats:37 Receptions – 1082 Yards Receiving – 29.2 Yards per Reception – 77.3 Yards per Game – 17 TouchdownsrnComing out of IC Catholic Prep, KJ Parker KJ Parker 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH IC Catholic | 2024 State IL is one of the leading receivers in the state of Illinois for the class of 2024. This should come as no surprise with his teammate, Dennis Mandala Dennis Mandala 5'10" | 170 lbs | QB IC Catholic | 2024 State IL , being one of the state’s top passers. From the looks of it, KJ seems to be the go-to target for the Knights with a stat line like his. Going for over 70 yards a game throughout a season is nothing to overlook. With the consistent attack between KR and Dennis, it is clear that they are an absolute nightmare for defenses. After looking at some of KJ’s stats between games, it is clear that his dominance was made known with a 222-yard performance early on in the season. On film, KJ is a smooth runner, making him a verticle threat in the passing game. His sure-handed nature helps him guarantee completions no matter what kind of coverage he is facing. From everything that I have seen from KJ, I am not surprised to see him begin to stack up Division 1 offers this early in the recruiting game. If KJ continues to build off of last season, I am sure that he is going to be one of the most sought-after wideouts coming out of the state of Illinois.

Mr. Parker is by far one of the top players we have in the state in the class of 24. This young man’s playmaking abilities were on full display as he finished with 4 receptions for 86 yards with 2 TDs, 6 tackles, and 0.5 TFLs on the day. On offense, this young man can find the soft spot in zone coverage and gets vertical quickly once he secures the receiver screen to keep the chains moving. In one of his TDs, he secured a catch in the middle of the field and used his elusiveness to make a defender miss in open space before he broke a long run for 6 in the 2nd. On defense, he can play the alley well making open field tackles and can come down in run support where he closes in an instant to secure the tackle for minimal gain. To close out the half we got to see more of his closing ability where he blew up a HB screen sending the game to halftime. Safe to say that there’s a reason why this young man is a target for multiple P5 programs across the country and is poised to see his stock rise even further.

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