The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns have announced the signing of wide receiver Jake Parker from Howard Payne University.
The 6’1″ 210 pound 26-year-old Parker from Brownwood, Texas joins the Unicorns following three seasons with the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (NCAA Div. III). During that time, Parker caught 123 passes for 2,282 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was twice named an All American and twice a First Team All Conference pick. He caught the interest of several NFL teams including the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs.
Parker was recommended to Schwäbisch Hall head coach Jordan Neuman, by former Unicorns quarterback Hunter Sims who is now the Athletic Director at Howard Payne University:
“We feel that Jake is an explosive playmaker, someone we can add for the second half of the season. I felt really confident getting him because my best friend is Hunter Sims, the athletic director at Howard Payne. Hunter actually played for the Unicorns back in 2007 so there’s a long history and connection there which is pretty cool. Hunter had great things to say about Jake so we have an exceptional person both on and off the field.”
The addition of Parker was necessary with the injury to Tyler Rutenbeck and potential departure of Moritz Böhringer according to Neuman:
“Tyler Rutenbeck’s finger injury in the first quarter of our game against Ravensburg showed how quickly it can happen that a top player is out. With a view to the second half of the season and the playoffs, we want to be prepared for such cases, especially in this important skill position.”
Parker is excited for the opportunity:
“I came to the Unicorns because it’s a great organization with a winning culture. So my goal is to win every game and bring the German Bowl back to Schwäbisch Hall!”
