Oregon closes in on destructive defensive tackle from the city of big shoulders

In the first clip of his HUDL junior highlights, 6-3, 305 defensive tackle Brayden Parks evades a blocker with a swim move, demolishes an outside zone read play at the mesh. In the second he lines up at nose, so quick to the quarterback that the center doesn't lay a hand on him.

Parks is strong, beastly strong like Derrick Harmon or A'Mauri Washington, creating inside pressure with quickness and tenacity. He has good feet, too, keeping them moving as he works through the pass protection with the agility of an edge rusher. He blows things up. His ability to get off a block and accelerate is phenomenal, as fast as anyone on the field in the first ten yards.

A four-star prospect in the 2027 class, Parks makes his official visit to Oregon on June 19th. He's at Ohio State this weekend and Notre Dame on June 12, his three finalists.

Recruiting analyst Brian Smith told Spencer McLaughlin of Locked on Ducks, "Oregon's trending. People around Notre Dame think he would pick Oregon right now. That's how powerful Oregon's recruiting machine is. And it doesn't really stop there."

From Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois, Parks led the Crusaders to the 7A State Championship last season with a 13-1 record, their first state title since 1981. He earned Chicago Catholic League Defensive Player of the Year with 61 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

The Crusader defense shut out Marist 35-0, Jefferson 57-0, Jacobs 46-0, St. Rita in the championship game, 16-0. They were intimidating and relentless, the style of defense Chris Hampton wants to establish in Eugene.

Parks set the tone. The feet are always churning. He keeps blockers off his body with an appetite for destruction. He knocked down five passes as a junior and racked up 30 pressures.

CBS recruiting expert Tom Lemming describes the No. 172 prospect and No. 19 defensive tackle as follows: "Great feet, strong and violent hands explosive first step and excellent lateral mobility."

Even so, it's 2100 miles to Chicago, four hours and ten minutes of flight time. Parks' Notre Dame connections are strong. He told Irish Sports Daily, “I'd say the legacy stands out to me the most. Having my cousin (Tony Jones Jr.), who played there, my godfather, Chris (Zorich), it's just the legacy.”

Parks trains with five-star Notre Dame commit David Folorunsho at WIN performance, a sports lab run by former Irish linebacker Kerry Neal. The two are urging him toward South Bend.

“I don't think location will be a factor for me right now,” Parks said. “If I want to go somewhere, that's where I want to be.”

Dan Lanning and Oregon have battled hard to overcome the distance. The big defensive tackle visited in January for Junior Day and again in April. The Oregon coaches made a school visit immediately after his first trip west.

Besides his finalists, Parks garnered offers from Alabama, Texas, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Penn State, USC, Miami, Auburn, Nebraska, Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas State, Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Arizona State, Iowa State, Minnesota, UNC, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

Huge year in defensive line recruiting for Oregon with stars graduating

They're pursuing two premium disruptive defensive linemen from California in Orange Lutheran star Kasi Currie and Marcus Fakatou, and five-star edge rusher KJ Green visits this weekend. With Washington, Bear Alexander, Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei entering their senior years, reloading the trenches is a priority.

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