Franklin says Parsons will not be opting back in

If Penn State fans harbored hopes that All-America linebacker Micah Parsons would return to the Nittany Lions, coach James Franklin ended them Wednesday,

Franklin said that Parsons, who opted out in early August, will not play for Penn State this season.

“I think there was a legitimate possibility for that to happen,” Franklin said. “But as we continued to talk and to work with it, the timing of it made it challenging. He had been gone for so long and had been in California training. That made it a little bit more complicated than we were able to work through.

“So that won’t be happening and we understand the decision.”

Parsons said in August that he chose not to play for Penn State this season in order to protect his 2-year-old son, Malcolm, from COVID-19..

“While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we returned to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and wellbeing of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season,” he said

The 6-3, 244-pound Parsons, a Harrisburg High graduate, played just two seasons for the Nittany Lions and became the first sophomore to be named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2019.

He’s projected to be taken in the first 10 picks of the 2021 NFL draft.

Parsons said in August that he expected to graduate in December with a degree in criminology in just three years. It’s unclear whether he’s taking classes this semester.

Several other Big Ten players who opted out when it looked like there would be no season have returned to their respective schools, including Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore, Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade and Buckeyes offensive lineman Wyatt Davis.

Franklin mentioned Ellis Brooks, Jesse Luketa, Lance Dixon and Charlie Katshir as possible replacements for Parsons.

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Franklin said that Penn State players will wear patches on their uniforms to support social justice or memorialize a person or an event.

The NCAA announced in July that it would allow all athletes to do that beginning this season.

“We do have

Franklin said.

a

plan,”