Parsons was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. He grew up playing football at Sunshine Park. For his freshman and sophomore years, Parsons attended Central Dauphin High School. In his sophomore year, Parsons committed to Penn State, but later decommitted to look at other options. For his junior year, Parsons transferred to Harrisburg High School where he started at both defensive end and running back. In his senior year, Parsons rushed for 1,239 yards and 27 touchdowns. He racked up sacks and one interception. Parsons also played varsity basketball. He was a five-star recruit and was ranked #4 in his class by 247Sports.com and #7 by ESPN. Parsons was recruited by Nebraska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama and Penn State. On December 19, The Lantern reported that Ohio State had committed NCAA violations because the university allowed him on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay to take a picture with analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Due to the fact that Herbstreit was a former Ohio State University quarterback, a violation of NCAA Bylaws 13.10.1 and 13.10.2.4 occurred, as recruits are not allowed to have contact with members of the media associated with former student-athletes. As a result, Ohio State agreed to no longer recruit Parsons. Parsons formally committed to Pennsylvania State University on December 20, 2017 and graduated Harrisburg High School seven months early in order to enroll early at Penn State.
College career
After committing to Penn State, Parsons was informed by head coachJames Franklin that he would start his Penn State career at middle linebacker rather than defensive end, which he played in high school. Franklin also announced that Parsons would be in contention for the starting job even though he was a true freshman.
Freshman Year
In his freshman year, Parsons only started one game for the Nittany Lions, but managed to lead the team in tackles with 82. He became the first Nittany Lion to ever lead the team in tackles as a freshman.
Sophomore Year
Prior to the start of the season, Parsons was named to the Butkus Award Preseason watch list. In his sophomore year, Parsons recorded 109 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 deflected passes and 3 forced fumbles. Parsons went on to be named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and a consensus All-American. Parsons had a dominating performance in the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic and was named the Defensive MVP of the game. Parsons recorded 14 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
