2 0 1 9 S E A S O N P R E V I E W
B
y the time Micah Parsons' second in-
terview began, the sweat had nearly
dried. Twenty minutes prior, the
same could not have been said of the Nit-
tany Lions' second-year linebacker. Drip-
ping from his face and clothing, Parsons
was still breathing heavily as he scanned
his phone and hurriedly greeted a pair of
Penn State beat writers in an upstairs hall-
way of the Lasch Building. Having arrived
a few minutes late for the 9rst of his two
scheduled interviews, he apologized and
revealed the source of his delay.
He had been boxing.
Parsons was sparring with fellow soph-
omore linebacker Jesse Luketa in the
team's weight training facilities down-
stairs, gloves and all, and the pair appar-
ently had drawn spectators. Both stood
6-foot-3, with the program's o;cial roster
giving Parsons a 243- to 241-pound weight
advantage. Listening in nearby, defensive
coordinator Brent Pry considered the
matchup and went with the underdog.
"Did Jesse lay one on you?" Pry
goaded.
"Nah. I knocked him out," Parsons
jabbed back. "He tried to duck and I
went, 'Pow!' "
Pry seemed unconvinced, and
Parsons' bid to win over his po-
sition coach grew weaker when
he admitted that he still needed
to complete his weightli
