ROCKINGHAM — Earning a reputation as one of the most talented members of the Richmond Raiders’ defense the last four years, Joe Parsons molded his high school football career by becoming a leader on and off the field.
A four-year varsity linebacker, Parsons is now getting his chance to fulfill a lifelong ambition and play at the college level.
Becoming the third Richmond Raider football player in the graduating class of 2025 to verbally commit in the past month, Parsons accepted a scholarship offer from Wingate University.
Part of a star-studded defense, Parsons joined defensive tackle Tate Simpson (UNC Pembroke) and fellow linebacker K’Mauri Morgan (Fayetteville State) as the program’s three college commits this offseason.
“I’m happy with my choice,” Parsons said. “And it feels like a lot of pressure has been taken off my shoulders now. I’m relieved to know where I’m going, what I’m going to be doing and what I’ve got to prepare for.
“Playing college football has been my dream since I was a little kid,” he continued. “Football is something I've been doing since I was a young boy and with my dad playing and going to East Carolina games, the passion for college football struck me. This is definitely a dream come true.”
With his decision to attend Wingate, Parsons is the second Richmond Raider football player in recent years to join the Bulldogs. Tremel Jones, a wide receiver who graduated from Richmond in 2020, played for Wingate for several seasons before transferring to Tennessee Tech University.
At 6-2, 230 pounds, Parsons has been a staple at inside linebacker since his freshman year and has called the defense the past few seasons.
Fast, physical and with a true knack and understanding of the game’s tendencies, he’s been a highlight reel player even during a transition period that saw Richmond record back-to-back losing seasons in 2022 and 2023.
Recruited heavily by Wingate and defensive coordinator Travis Knight since the end of his senior season, Parsons’ decision was based on that relationship, as well as Wingate’s reputation for having a notable defense.
Another aspect that piqued Parsons’ interest was a position change. He’ll work as a defensive lineman for the Bulldogs.
“Wingate is a very defense-oriented team and I liked that about them,” Parsons explained. “I’ll be playing defensive line when I get there and Wingate is known for producing great d-linemen year after year. I also really like Coach Knight and there’s the benefit of having a degree from Wingate, that is often pretty valued.
“The d-line coaches told me they saw something in me in that position that is similar to a recent player. We have the same stature and weight and that guy turned out to be an All-American defensive lineman.
“Wingate wants to try and replicate that with me,” he added. “A couple things will change and I’ll have to work on some fundamentals, but I’m up for the challenge and think I’ll be able to adapt pretty quickly.”
In addition to receiving an offer from Wingate, Parsons also received scholarship offers from Barton College, Ferrum College and Randolph-Macon College.
Admitting that the recruitment process was a rollercoaster, Parsons said he’d been in contact with Division I programs after his freshman season. But as a result of Richmond’s two losing seasons his sophomore and junior years, “not as many coaches were stopping by.”
Undeterred, Parsons continued to work and said “a lot of things opened up for me after this season starting around Christmas,” which he said was the same for Morgan and Simpson.
“The toughest part of being recruited was trying to decide if I wanted to possibly walk on somewhere or wait for the right scholarship opportunity to pop up. There was a lot of uncertainty, but when Wingate made their offer, I knew it was the right decision for me.”
Parsons and his family went on a visit to Wingate on Jan. 25, which was followed by an official offer from the Bulldogs on Feb. 3.
“During my visit, the coaches spoke very highly of the program and the team seemed very connected,” Parsons explained. “There are a lot of down-to-earth guys who are good at football and the facilities are super nice.
“The overall atmosphere of the program was a place I knew I could fit in. I would go to Wingate as a student even if I wasn’t playing football.”
Playing in 43 games over his four seasons at Richmond, Parsons ended his career with 302 total tackles (7.1 tackles per game), including 177 solo tackles and 125 assists. He had 10.0 career quarterback sacks and 25.0 career tackles-for-loss.
Other career accolades include being named the Sandhills Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season in 2023, as well as making the All-Conference team his final three seasons.
As a senior, Parsons was one of four season-long captains which were voted on by Richmond’s players. In December, Parsons joined Morgan as a member of the East team in the NCCA’s East-West All-Star Game.
During his senior season, Parsons recorded 106 total tackles (32 solo, 74 assists), which were second-most on the team. He averaged 8.2 tackles per game and was the SAC’s fourth-leading tackler.
In the season opener at Seventy-First, Parsons set a single-game personal best with 15 tackles, one of his three double-digit performances. He had a season-high 2.0 TFL against Butler in Week 2 and had solo sacks in three games.
In the turnover game, Parsons caused three fumbles this season and recorded one recovery.
Perhaps even more valuable than his statistical contributions to the Raiders were Parsons’ abilities as a leader, which were recently highlighted by head coach Brad Denson during Richmond’s end-of-season banquet before awarding Parsons with the Captain’s Captain Award.
Denson explained how Parsons’ demeanor was often reserved, but his poise on the football field garnered the respect of his teammates.
“(Parsons) represents what it means to play football at a very, very high level,” Denson said Feb. 6. “He’s the true definition of a student. He’s an alpha on the field, in the locker room and in the classroom.
“When he spoke, you listened. When he said get lined up here, you did. When he showed the way how to get things done in the classroom, people followed.”
Not taking his time at Richmond for granted, Parsons reflected on the past four years and said two winning seasons and two sub-.500 seasons prepared him for what lies ahead in college.
“At Richmond I learned how to work hard on the field, in the weight room and in the classroom,” Parsons said. “I was also taught how important it is to play as a team no matter what the circumstances are.
“I learned the value of being a good teammate and helping others when we had to overcome adversity, especially during my sophomore and junior seasons. I think those lessons will help me at Wingate because those are intangibles that I bring which can’t necessarily be taught.”
The Wingate football program, which is led by head coach Rashaan Jordan, had a successful 2024 campaign. The Bulldogs went 9-2 overall and notched a 6-1 record against South Atlantic Conference opponents.
That mark against conference teams led to the Bulldogs winning the Piedmont Division title. Wingate qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs and was eliminated in overtime in the first round by Virginia Union University.
“I want to thank my mom and dad for all of their support, especially my mom,” Parsons closed. “And I want to thank Coach Denson, Coach (Bryan) Till, Coach (Chris) Campolieta and Coach (Spencer) Shaw for all of their guidance these last four years.”
Set to finish his associate’s degree at Richmond Community College later this spring in addition to earning his high school diploma, Parsons will go into his freshman year at Wingate with a foot up on his education.
Currently with a 4.641 weighted grade point average, the second highest in Richmond’s program, he hopes to pursue a master’s degree in business administration.
Parsons, along with Morgan and Simpson, will hold a signing day ceremony Tuesday at Richmond.
The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery and article of Tuesday’s signing day. Statistics used in this article were gathered from MaxPreps.
