UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Football Head Coach James Franklin announced the addition of Gerad Parker to the coaching staff as the wide receivers coach. Parker joins the Nittany Lions after a two-year stint at Duke University where he most recently served as the wide receivers coach for the 2018 season.
(Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics)
“We are excited to add Gerad to our staff,” Franklin said. “He has a comprehensive background and knows the Big Ten. He is a terrific fit for our staff, university and community. He has a great opportunity to come in and make a significant impact both on and off the field with a very talented position group! Gerad played wide receiver in the SEC and has shown he is a great teacher of the position, as well. His wide receiver groups have been able to overachieve throughout his coaching career.”
“I am extremely humbled and honored to have the chance to join the Penn State football program,” Parker said. “I am so thankful to Coach James Franklin and the entire coaching staff. We as a family are certainly very excited to be a part of a place that has been built with such a passion for football and with such a storied history. Coach Franklin has done great things at Penn State and has high expectations of where this program can go. Personally, I feel I have been called on this Earth to coach wideouts and help grow men, what better place to do that than Penn State, a place that is high in talent and has a chance to compete for championships.”
Parker spent two seasons at Duke, most recently serving as the wide receivers coach for the 2018 season, where he mentored T.J. Rahming to second-team All-ACC accolades and Johnathan Lloyd to a berth on the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Under Parker’s tutelage, the Duke wide receivers accounted for 2,252 of the Blue Devils’ 3,199 yards (70.4%) through the air. He joined the Duke staff in 2017. During the 2017 season, the Duke offense had three All-ACC selections and for the first time in program history had three players with 500 or more rushing yards, while also having a quarterback throw for more than 2,500 yards. He arrived at Duke after a brief stint as the running backs coach at the University of Cincinnati in the spring of 2017.
Parker spent four seasons at Purdue University where he was the tight ends (2013-14) and wide receivers (2015-16) coach, as well as recruiting coordinator. He also spent the final six weeks of the 2016 season as the Boilermakers interim head coach.
During his tenure with the Boilers, Parker guided DeAngelo Yancey to second-team All-Big Ten accolades with 49 receptions, 951 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016. Yancey ended his career ranked seventh in receiving yards (2,344) and receiving touchdowns (20), and 16th in receptions (141). In 2015, Yancey grabbed 48 receptions and led the team with 700 yards, while Danny Anthrop paced Purdue with 57 catches.
Prior to his time at Purdue, Parker spent two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Marshall University where he coached alongside Nittany Lion running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. The Thundering Herd led FBS in passing offense averaging 365.1 yards per game, while wideout Tommy Shuler led the country and set the school record for receptions (110) and was 18th national in yards per game (94.8). Shuler garnered first-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors. In 2011, Aaron Dobson had 49 catches for 668 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns.
Parker also spent three seasons at UT-Martin where he was the running backs coach in 2008 and wide receivers coach from 2009-10. He also served as the passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 2010. He started his coaching career at Raceland (Ky.) High School and spent the 2007 season as a graduate assistant coach at Kentucky.
A native of Louisa, Kentucky, Parker set Kentucky High School receiving records with 238 catches, 4,814 yards and 52 touchdowns at Lawrence County High School. He then went on to be a four-year letterman at the University of Kentucky where he was a two-time Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection (2002-03) and second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District IV honoree in 2004.
Parker earned two degrees at Kentucky, a bachelor’s degree in business management in 2003 and a master’s degree in education in 2005.
Parker and his wife, Kandi, have three daughters, Kolbi, Gwyneth and Rosalyn, and one son, Oliver. Kandi was a standout student-athlete in her own right, being inducted into the Morehead State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 and owning the Ohio Valley Conference career free throw percentage record.
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