Penn State true freshman linebacker Micah Parsons stands out by seamlessly fitting in

Micah Parsons’ play in his debut season doesn’t jump off the page or the TV screen.

Steady yet unspectacular, he’s fitting in more than standing out on a young Penn State defense making incremental improvement as the season wears on. And that’s a good thing.

In one sense, he’s already arrived. He leads the team with 58 total tackles. If that holds up through three more games, he’ll be the first true freshman to lead the Nittany Lions in tackles since — best I can tell — ever.

In another sense, he’s just getting started. He is credited with just half a sack and another shared tackle for loss. He ranks sixth on the team in solo tackles with 30. Transitioning from his high school days as a defensive end, he’s just getting his feet wet at weak-side linebacker.

Entering the season depleted at linebacker, Penn State desperately needed to hit on this 5-star recruit out of Harrisburg, Pa. Head coach James Franklin has commended him for learning quickly and gaining the trust of defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

“He’s just getting better every single day,” Franklin said. “So he continues to build trust with Coach Pry … in terms of preparing himself like a pro and not just relying on his ability. That’s what you’re seeing as the season is going on. That was part of the plan to allow his reps to spike up.”

Saturday against Wisconsin, Parson’s led the team outright in tackles for the first time. The 6-3, 240-pound 19-year-old has finished no worse than tied for third in tackles in eight of the past nine games. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t yet made his first collegiate start.

The one time since the season-opener that Parsons didn’t register at least 5 tackles came against Ohio State, when he only got 28 reps (1 tackle) while starter Koa Farmer got 50 (team-high 8 tackles). While Farmer, a senior, continues to start, the playing time has dramatically flipped. This past weekend, Parsons played 50 snaps to Farmer’s 12, according to the number-crunchers at roarlionsroar.com.

With 30 tackles over his past four games, Parsons is on pace to finish right around 80 tackles, which would be the lowest team-leading total at Penn State since Brandon Short led with 67 in 1998. It’s worth mentioning, however, that Short followed with a team-high 103 tackles the following season … and those were Short’s junior and senior years.

If Parsons holds off fellow LB Jan Johnson (56 total tackles) for the team lead, he’ll put himself in line to match or top Paul Posluszny’s record three seasons as PSU’s leading tackler (2004-06). Posluszny had 36 tackles as a freshman.

Penn State’s media guide lists season-tackle leaders back to 1969. Notably absent from the list is a guy who, like Parsons, donned uniform No. 11 at Penn State and generated instant hype as a freakish athlete coming out of high school — LaVar Arrington.

In the media guide, Arrington ranks no higher than eighth in any game, season or career statistical category, yet he’s considered by some as the greatest linebacker in school history. Stats are not the be-all and end-all. Some guys pass the eye test with super-human efforts that live forever on video and generate their own nickname. Arrington’s “LaVar Leap” against Illinois in 1998 suggests what’s possible for Parsons, according to none other than Arrington himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jh_WbMGz9I

Arrington sees himself in Parsons, saying the two are similar in size, speed and athletic ability. One can argue that Parsons if ahead of Arrington’s schedule, given that Joe Paterno experimented with playing Arrington at safety as a freshman and didn’t start him until the second game of his sophomore season.

By all accounts, Parsons possesses Arrington-level confidence. A couple weeks ago, Franklin told the story of Parsons asking to play offense as well as defense — and also wanting to join Cael Sanderson’s national champion wrestling program.

For now, Parsons is a gang-tackling team player. He doesn’t single-handedly blow up plays. His role in Pry’s scheme doesn’t call for that this season. He has no interceptions, no fumbles forced or recovered, 4 QB hurries. If he adds some Arrington flair to his game and becomes a dominating, difference-making force, the sky’s the limit.

Already, he and sophomore DE Yetur Gross-Matos are separating themselves as the core players of the defensive unit. Pry will build around them in 2019, when 19 of the 22 players on the two-deep defensive chart are eligible to return.

Parsons and Co. are just getting started.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.