Chris Parson updates his commitment status after visiting other schools in June
The 2022 Elite 11 Finals are being held this week in Los Angeles as 20 of the top rising senior quarterbacks compete to prove their talent. The Seminoles are represented this year by longtime quarterback commitment Chris Parson. On day one, Parson displayed his arm strength and accuracy by winning the Railshot Challenge.
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Following the first day of the finals, the Mississippi native spoke to the media in attendance. It was his first public interview since speaking at Florida State's Elite Camp on June 4.
"It was awesome man. It was a great experience, a great opportunity for me to showcase what I do," Parson said to SI All-American's John Garcia. "I stepped up to the challenge, I stepped up to the plate in front of all of those great quarterbacks and I delivered. Happy that I came out with the win and I understand that the whole Elite 11 process is not over so I got to bring it again tomorrow."
Last weekend, Parson took his official visit to Florida State. He was one of eight official visitors that the Seminoles hosted in the final few days before a recruiting dead period.
"It was great," Parson said. "I had a great time being around the coaches, being around the players. It still feels like home. It was great for me. I was glad that I got the chance to get back to Tallahassee."
Over the past few weeks, Parson has unofficially visited Mississippi State and officially visited SMU. However, he says there's no reason to panic because he and the staff have been open with one another throughout the process.
"Nah, me and the staff, we've been fully transparent throughout this whole process," Parson said. "They understand that at the end of the day I'm a 17-year-old kid and I just want to enjoy the process. It's a blessing to have schools still recruiting me and things like that. They understand and they want me to just enjoy it all and have fun doing it at this time."
Parson has family ties to Mississippi State through his father. He attended the Bulldogs' Top Dawg Camp but did not work out during the event.
"It was nice being back in Starkville," Parson said. "Great opportunity like I said, they're showing interest in me so I just wanted to go down there. My dad graduated from Mississippi State so most of that is just him going back home so we're just enjoying the recruiting process."
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The trip marked the first time that Parson had spoken with head coach Mike Leach in person. He enjoyed their conversations but made it clear that he's firmly committed to Florida State.
"Yeah, he's a fun guy to talk to. I like talking to him a lot, he's a great guy," Parson said. "They have a really good staff at Mississippi State but they all understand that I'm committed to Florida State and that I'm a Seminole."
A week later, Parson officially visited SMU. The Mustangs offered him a scholarship shortly after Florida State expanded its quarterback board in May. He has a relationship with head coach Rhett Lashlee. Despite that, Parson wants to be a Seminole.
"Same scenario. Great staff. I have a really good relationship with the staff, I had a relationship with the staff before I even committed to Florida State," Parson said. "They understand as well that I'm fully committed to Florida State and I want to be a Seminole."
Following three visits in June and capping things off in Tallahassee, is Parson's recruitment over?
"I mean, you know. Like I said, I want to be at Florida State, I'm committed to Florida State. I've been committed there for a very long time," Parson said. "It's always been my dream school, ever since I was a kid way before Jameis Winston. Florida State is where I want to be, that's where I want to play."
The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback is vying to be named to a member of the 2022 Elite 11 class. He'll find out where he stands among the top signal-callers in the country later this week.
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