Game day on Saturday at UNC for Florida four-star 2025 LB Parker Meese
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Fundamentally sound, a great reader of keys, and speed and power to close, Parker Meese (6-1, 215) is a magnet to the pigskin. Parish Episcopal (Dallas) turned Meese loose last season on their way to winning a Texas state championship attracting attention. The big plays racked up helping the 2025 linebacker earn MaxPreps All-American honors. This fall, Meese is testing himself in a different way cracking helmets for Florida’s IMG Academy (Bradenton). Playing for one of the nation’s powerhouse programs has Meese rising on college football recruiting boards.
Making the transition from playing for the Panthers to the Ascenders was detailed by Meese.
“It has gone really well,” Meese said. “We are 2-0. It is good to be on the field with other top players in my class and the ones above me in the ’24 class. Playing against top players in practice and in the games, I am getting to find out what I am about as a player.”
Meese continued talking about testing himself at IMG against a national schedule, “On my strengths and weaknesses, you find out what everyone knows about IMG, and that is everyone is an athlete here. Being honest, we are there for football. We are all there to compete at a high level.
“I am finding out what I am good at. Everyone is bigger, faster, and stronger, but what separates me is knowledge of the game. I knew a lot before going to IMG and I have learned a lot since I have been here. What separates our team and program from others is what makes us better, and that is learning from our coaches and each other.”
Approaching the mid-30 offer mark, Meese updated his daily recruiting process.
“I talk to Tennessee, Michigan, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas A&M, Duke, BYU – a bunch of schools,” Messe stated. “I get texts every day from schools – Miami and UNLV; my phone has been blowing up. I receive invites to games every day. I am building relationship with all of these coaches; it is great to start communicating with them.”
A private workout was held with Illinois over the summer with four visits fit into the tight schedule before reporting to IMG.
“I went to Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, and UNLV,” Messe shared.
The trip to Ann Arbor was a memorable one for the four-star.
“It went really well,” Meese said. “I got my offer from Michigan during the visit. It was amazing. It was surprising to see their campus, it is a great mix of old school and new technology. Their coaches were amazing. I had a great time up there.”
The Volunteers were able to show Meese a slice of life in Knoxville.
“The Tennessee visit went really well also,” Meese stated. “I went to a practice. I already had an offer from them. I went to see how they practice, to see their facilities, and I took the tour; it went really well.”
The Hurricanes got Meese suited up to get that feel of being a Miami player.
“It went really well,” Meese shared. “I watched their practice, toured the campus, put on the jersey, and talked to their coaches.”
Saturdays will be spent on college campuses this fall with a schedule to be set later, first up for Meese are the Tar Heels.
“I am going to South Carolina versus North Carolina for their first game of the season: I got that invite,” Meese said. “There will be multiple visits this season, my parents and I haven’t scheduled them out yet.”
On the opportunity to hang in Charlotte with College GameDay on site, Meese said, “I can’t wait to get up there. I have been there before; I have an offer from them. I talk to them a lot. This is my first game I am able to talk to coaches on the visit. Going to North Carolina, I feel that will say something. They invited me to their first game of the season; this is big for me.”