Iowa State became the first program to offer a Kansas wide receiver in early May and has remained in a good spot in the months that have followed.
A game day visit to Ames earlier this month kept the Cyclones at the forefront of Tecumseh Shawnee Heights junior Tyren Parker’s recruitment.
“It was a fun experience being up there, just seeing like the whole environment, campus, and seeing the people, and seeing the players, and seeing the other recruits there, and enjoying the moment there,” said Parker, who also has offers from Kansas and Kansas State, plus interest from Nebraska.
“It was a fun environment. The atmosphere was great, the coaching staff was very nice and talking to us. I enjoyed having conversations with the coaches.”
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound pass catcher said he particularly enjoyed time spent with a pair of staff members.
“I talked to the coaches while I was having dinner, then also talked to Coach (Noah) Pauley and Coach (Jake) Waters when I was down going to see the players warm up. They said it was a great having me and they loved that I was up there seeing them, because we haven't talked in a while.
“Coach Pauley talked to me about the wide receiver room, what they do, how they get the ball, and making sure they get the ball. Coach Waters said he makes sure the quarterback sees them, sees the receivers, and know what they're doing.”
As for the on-field product during the Baylor game, Parker said he came away impressed with the offense.
“I loved it,” he said. “It was a great time seeing them play. They have the confidence up there, that's how they are and they’re 6-0. Really, it was just a great time seeing them, how they got a connection with the quarterback. I love to see that. The quarterback knows where to place the ball, and the receivers go get it.”
As he reflected back on the visit, the Kansas three-star prospect said it made a big impression.
“Coming in, it was a far drive, but when we came into Iowa State, we just said ‘wow’, because of how the crowd is, the environment, and just seeing them being happy, and having a connection with the team,” Parker said.
“They were helping with the White Out. It was just a fun time seeing them coming out and a great time. I talked to some of the players, talked to the coaches, and the crowd, seeing me, they talked to me.”
Through six games as a junior, Parker has caught 32 passes for 578 yards and seven touchdowns.
