This time of year brings a lot of craziness around the high school recruiting scene. And with WVU football fans wondering who a pair of 'secret commits' are after hints from the coaching staff at WVU last week, they may be bolster their class further after a recent change of heart could keep a highly coveted offensive lineman recruit in West Virginia.
Four-star 2026 recruit Da’Ron Parks decommitted from Florida State last Monday and will have his recruitment reopened. Parks is a composite four-star recruit according to 247Sports and is the number-one-ranked recruit in the state of West Virginia in the class of 2026.
BREAKING: Class of 2026 IOL Da’Ron Parks has Decommitted from Florida State, he tells me for @rivals⁰⁰The 6’5 310 IOL from Nitro, WV had been Committed to the Seminoles since July⁰https://t.co/Ejl3F1NHa0 pic.twitter.com/Yv52fWF8pe
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 25, 2025
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 350 pounds, Parks has incredible size on the offensive line. Playing his first two seasons at Hurricane High School in Hurricane, West Virginia, Parks transferred to Cardinal Mooney in Florida for his junior season. But Parks made his way back home, transferring to Nitro High School in Nitro, West Virginia, to finish his high school career.
Evaluating Parks, 247Sports’ Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins sees the interior offensive lineman as a recruit with a lot of potential, but might need to be moved to guard or refine some of his techniques in the trenches.
“Gigantic offensive line prospect that wins at the point of attack with his sheer mass. Measured just over 6-foot-5, 350 pounds spring before senior year and came in with a near 6-foot-10 wingspan. Heavy up top, but can slide his feet and find his balance in tight quarters. Tends to play with a higher pad level, but has shown in a camp setting that he can get low and establish leverage," said Ivins.
"Defeats opponents with a nasty punch, but needs to do a better job of syncing up the lower half. Spent junior season working at left tackle, but future is likely at one of the guard spots as speed rushers present trouble. Must continue to improve conditioning and is tracking for a redshirt, but projects as a potential multi-year contributor at the Power Four level that could fit into a zone or gap blocking scheme. Could exceed expectations if he gets the body right and soaks up coaching.”
Two reasons why Parks might stay home and play for WVU
One thing that will be in favor of head coach Rich Rodriguez and his offensive staff is that WVU has a signee who is a current teammate of Parks. WVU landed a commitment from Nitro’s Malachi Thompson, a three-star wide receiver, who won the Randy Moss Award as the best high school receiver in the state of West Virginia as a junior.
Having a teammate to make that transition from high school football to college football can take a lot of stress out of the transition for a recruit. Should Parks commit to WVU, he will be accompanied by Thompson, and that is something that could help persuade Parks to play his college football in-state.
It has been no secret that one of the biggest struggles this season for WVU has been the play of the offensive line. Adding ultra-talented offensive lineman Kevin Brown, whose dad played for Rich Rodriguez, was a major positive first step in bringing the talent to the offensive line in 2026 to a higher level. Adding Parks to that line would be a second huge step in improving the worst area of play for WVU in 2025.
Going into the 2026 season, if Parks decided to play at WVU, he would not be the only talented player up front for WVU. Playing alongside a talented player like Brown would take a lot of pressure off Parks to be 'the guy' on the offensive line in his class. Parks certainly has the potential to be that player, but playing alongside someone that has the potential like Brown, Parks can settle in a little easier and would not be relied on as heavily to perform right out of the gate.
Because of the connection with Thompson along with Brown announcing his commitment, this should help the recruiting pitch to Parks for the WVU staff. Parks has a chance to be one of the best in-state recruits that have stayed home and played for the Mountaineers, joining current NFL stars such as Wyatt Milum and Zach Frazier.