Texas WR Parker Washington Commits

Penn State has added another wide receiver to its Class of 2020.

On Tuesday evening, Richmond, Texas, native Parker Washington announced his decision while at The Opening Finals in Frisco, Texas.

A 5-foot-10, 195 pound prospect from Fort Bend Travis, Washington earned an offer from the Nittany Lion coaching staff back in February. He then visited for the first time in April before using an official visit to return June 18-20.

“I loved Penn State," Washington said following his visit in April. “One of the biggest things that caught my eye was their academics. That’s going to be important to me. The [Morgan Academic Center] is really nice. It’s a real complex building with different rooms that are isolated so you can avoid distractions...But I also liked the campus and how it’s isolated. In that whole area, everyone is all about Penn State. That’s big to me, too.

"Lastly, I’d have to say the energy that I felt from the coaches. During practice, Coach [James] Franklin was always involved with everyone. He’s real hands-on with everyone. Of course, Coach Parker, I love what he does and how he teaches his guys. All of those things caught my eye.”

Over the past two years, Washington earned 16 verbal scholarship offers. He took unofficial visits to Houston and Texas A&M earlier in his recruitment. Wisconsin was the only school that received an official visit. That took place a few days before he returned to State College.

Washington also began his relationship with Gerad Parker while he was still a member of David Cutcliffe's staff at Duke. That relationship played a big role in his recruitment.

"Even before he got to Penn State, I knew Coach Parker because he was recruiting me at Duke," Washington said. "He’s always been talking to me about how he would coach me. He really emphasizes technique and all the little things. He’s already been teaching me, but aside from that, he showed me different ways they could use me in their offense. I loved all of that. That was probably the main thing we talked about."

In 2018, Washington totaled 75 receptions for 1,486 yards (19.8 YPC) and 18 touchdowns, earning all-state honors. He recently was promoted to a four-star prospect. Currently, Washington is the 43rd-ranked wide receiver and 48th best prospect in Texas.

Join us inside The Lions Den for more on Washington and the Class of 2020!