photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence wide receiver Jaylen Parks celebrates a first down conversion against Olathe South on Friday, Oct. 18th, 2024, in Lawrence.

Jaylen Parks, who split time as a free safety and a wide receiver for Lawrence High School, committed to Missouri Western University.

In his final year, the senior finished his Lawrence career with 16 receptions for 246 yards while collecting 55 tackles and four pass breakups on defense. Most of all, Parks developed a love and understanding of the game of football at Lawrence.

“Just learning — especially as an underclassmen — from the upperclassmen and then filling their role was cool,” Parks said. “My mind got opened up to a whole new level of football when I started really rolling at the high school level. I learned a lot and had a ton of fun these last four years.”

Missouri Western was one of the first schools to contact Parks, starting in the spring of 2024 and continuing through the summer. Throughout the process, Parks said that the Griffons were the team that recruited him the hardest.

Parks gravitated toward the care the coaching staff showed him. Even when he wasn’t sure what he was looking for in a program at the start of his recruitment process, Parks knew he wanted to be around a coaching staff dedicated to him and its players.

Missouri Western went 4-7 in 2024 in coach Tyler Fenwick’s second season as the head coach. The previous year, the Griffons went 8-4. The Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the conference that Missouri Western is a part of, consists of some of the top teams in Division II football. Four of the 10 teams in the conference finished in the top 10 of the Super Region 3 rankings. On top of that, it’s within close proximity to Lawrence and the other member schools, giving Parks ample opportunity to see his family during games or out of the football season.

“I was always in sports,” Parks said, “but I didn’t think about playing college football until my sophomore year. My mom played at Northwest Missouri State for volleyball, and my sister played at Washburn. I always wanted to play college sports, and it turned out to be football.”

Parks committed to the Griffons as a safety, but he and the team’s defensive backs coach, Eriq Moore, talked about Parks also playing as a nickel, which would put his skills as a tackler and cover defender in the slot to more use. A move to nickel would allow Parks to utilize some of the skills he developed during his freshman and sophomore seasons when he played more cornerback. Whether he plays nickel, safety, or a likely combination of both, Parks is excited about the opportunity to continue his football career.

Parks is working on getting faster before he moves to Saint Joseph, Missouri. That means improving his straight-line speed and his change of direction. On top of the athletic side, Parks is making sure he finishes his high school career the right way.

“I’m excited to start college ball and this next journey, so I’m trying to stay locked in on high school academics.”

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Lawrence safety Jaylen Parks flips an Olathe South ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Lawrence.