We are now under a week left until the Utah football season kicks off, and today we examine no. 6, freshman running back, Ricky Parks.

Parks hails from Tampa, Florida, and was a standout in the backfield during his time in the sunshine state. He was first-team all-county and second-team All-Tampa Bay his junior year at Jesuit High School, rushing for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns.

During his senior year, he earned All-Western Conference honors as a senior at Gaither High School, rushing for 688 yards on 96 carries for 11 touchdowns on their way to an undefeated season.

UteNation take

Parks is built like a former Ute from Florida, Zack Moss, standing at 5-foot-10 and 211 pounds. Ricky is a downhill runner, playing low and really racking up the yards after contact. In high school, he seemed to be a solid blocker, too. He’s a natural fit for what Utah sees in their bruising running backs.

With Utah’s stacked backfield of Tavion Thomas, Micah Bernard, TJ Pledger, and Chris Curry, Parks will have his work cut out for himself to see playing time in his first year. However, that shouldn’t be viewed as a knock on his potential.

Sean remembers Parks’ recruitment

Parks’ commitment to the Utes can probably be tied back to the Dennis Erickson impact on the program, with his ties to south Florida echoing on the recruiting trail. Parks was a 5.8 Rivals rated 4-star running back in high school, and he held offers from Florida State, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Missouri, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, South Florida, Virginia, and West Virginia, to name a few.

Iowa was the favorite going into the final days of his decision, but there seemed to be a sudden shift and the Utes won the recruiting battle. In the end, it was his relationship with the Utah coaches that won him over.