Texas High’s Leonard Parks Joins FBS Ranks With Offer From ULM

Texas High's Leonard Parks is the 20th name in the NCAA Division I FBS scholarship holder's club among local soon-to-be seniors thanks to an offer extended by Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday.

The defensive end announced the Warkawks invitation via his personal Twitter account. He picked up his very first Division I opportunity Wednesday from FCS competitor Southern Illinois.

Parks (6-5, 230), the seventh local player targeted by ULM in the 2018 class, shined at Sunday’s ETSN Combine at APEC in Tyler.

On his way to earning honorable mention recognition in his position group, Parks was one of only four defensive linemen to record sub-5.0 times in the 40-yard dash. He also put up 12 bench press reps of 225 pounds and recorded a 34-inch vertical leap, which was good enough for fourth-best among all 87 of the event’s participants.

Texas High finished the 2016 regular season with a perfect 10-0 record before an upset loss in the first round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs. The defense limited opponents to 13.2 points per game.

Parks is the third current Texas High player to own at least one FBS offer. He joins fellow rising senior and Kansas receiver commitment Tevailance Hunt as well as rising junior signal-caller Coltin Clack.

ULM went 4-8 last season under first-year coach Matt Viator, who took the role after leading McNeese State to a fifth FCS playoffs appearance in nine seasons. Two of the losses came on the road against Auburn and Oklahoma.

Like all 2018 graduates with football scholarship opportunities at the NCAA level, Parks will become eligible to sign with any program that offers him in December.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-2, 211 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
• Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (17)
• Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (12)
• Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-3, 296 — offers from SMU, Texas State (2)
• Kylar Cooks, Liberty-Eylau, OL, 6-5, 252 — offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State, ULL (4)
• Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, Memphis, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane (8)
• Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 209 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
• Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tulane, ULL, ULM (5)
• Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-3, 243 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
• Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 353 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
• Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Nevada, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Tulsa (14)
• Dewaylon Ingram, Carthage, WR, 6-0, 160 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
• Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 163 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Kameron King, Marshall, OL, 6-2, 275 — offers from Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, ULM (4)
• Trevor Lawrence, Whitehouse, DE, 6-4, 245 -- offer from ULM (1)
• DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
• Leonard Parks, Texas High, DE, 6-5, 230 — offer from ULM (1)
• Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Kansas State, ULM, Missouri, New Mexico, Memphis, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (15)
• Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Houston, Kansas, Memphis, Oklahoma State, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (12)