Christopher Bernard Parson (born July 22, 2004) is an American college football quarterback for the Austin Peay Governors. He previously played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
| No. 3 – Austin Peay Governors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 22, 2004 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tennessee) |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Early life
editParson attended Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee. As a sophomore, he threw for 541 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 488 yards and 11 touchdowns at Red Oak High School before transferring to Ravenwood prior to his junior year.[1][2] As a junior, Parson totaled 2,309 passing yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,007 yards and 17 touchdowns.[3] Following his junior season, he was selected to participate in the 2022 Elite 11.[4] As a senior, Parson threw for 1,041 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 519 yards and five touchdowns before his season was ended prematurely due to injury.[5] A four-star recruit, he committed to play college football at Mississippi State University.[6]
College career
editParson entered his true freshman season as the backup quarterback behind Will Rogers and Mike Wright.[7] He made his first career start against Texas A&M, completing five passes for 36 yards with three interceptions. Parson was named to SEC All-Freshman Team following the season.[8] He played sparingly in 2024, before entering the transfer portal.[9]
On December 18, 2024, Parson announced his decision to transfer to Austin Peay State University.[10] He was named the Governors' starting quarterback entering the 2025 season.[11] Against Utah Tech, Parson accounted for 286 total yards and four touchdowns, being named the UAC Offensive Player of the Week.[12][13] Against Tarleton State, he set the school record for single-game total offense with 487 total yards in a 45–44 overtime defeat.[14] Parson finished the 2025 season throwing for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also rushing for 743 yards and 14 touchdowns.[15] He was named a finalist for the Walter Payton Award following the season.[16]
Statistics
edit| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1 | 0–1 | 11 | 26 | 42.3 | 103 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 52.5 | 9 | -9 | -1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 4 | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 8 | 31 | 3.9 | 0 |
| 2025 | Austin Peay | 12 | 12 | 7−5 | 206 | 326 | 63.2 | 3,003 | 9.2 | 23 | 5 | 160.8 | 168 | 743 | 4.4 | 14 |
| Career | 18 | 13 | 7–6 | 217 | 354 | 61.3 | 3,106 | 8.8 | 23 | 8 | 151.9 | 185 | 765 | 4.1 | 14 | |
References
edit- ↑ Kreager, Tom (May 12, 2021). "3-star QB Chris Parson returns to Nashville area from Texas, ready to kick off Ravenwood career". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Woodroof, Cory (February 10, 2021). "Ravenwood adds four-star QB transfer from Texas". Nashville Post. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Bateman, Charlie (August 15, 2022). "Ravenwood QB Parson latest mid-state recruit to pick Mississippi State". Nashville Post. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Karels, Carter. "Analyzing Florida State quarterback commit Chris Parson's Elite 11 Finals performance". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Organ, Mike. "Former Mississippi State QB Chris Parson's relationship with Jeff Faris led him to Austin Peay". The Leaf-Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ DeRosa, Theo (August 12, 2022). "Four-star quarterback Chris Parson commits to Mississippi State". The Dispatch. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Krajisnik, Stefan. "Could QB Chris Parson start for Mississippi State football? Here's what Zach Arnett said". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Rosenberg, Benjamin (December 8, 2023). "Donterry Russell, Chris Parson named to SEC All-Freshman Team". The Dispatch. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Sklar, Sam. "Chris Parson enters transfer portal. How it affects Mississippi State football depth chart". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Brown, Christian (December 18, 2024). "Former Mississippi State quarterback returns to Tennessee to play for Austin Peay State University - ClarksvilleNow.com". Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Writer, David Glovach Sports (October 22, 2025). "QB rising: For Austin Peay, there's 'nobody else like' Parson". TimesDaily. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ "APSU Football Duo Chris Parson, Kamari Maxwell Claim First United Athletic Conference Weekly Awards". Clarksville Online. September 30, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Delgado, Isaiah De Anda. "Austin Peay football QB Chris Parson gets high praise, comparison to Cam Ward from teammate". The Leaf-Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ "APSU Football Quarterback Parson Breaks Total Offense and Rushing Records in 45-44 OT Loss against No. 5 Tarleton State". Clarksville Online. November 23, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Shames, Jacob. "Why Austin Peay coach called QB Chris Parson 'best player in college football'". The Leaf-Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
- ↑ Haley, Craig (November 25, 2025). "30 FCS Offensive Standouts Named Finalists for 2025 Walter Payton Award". Opta Analyst. Retrieved November 25, 2025.