Parks is Ohio's next top playmaker

Ohio has a long tradition of exciting running backs and class of 2021 Orrville product Marquael Parks is the next one up. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound prospect showed off an array of electric open-field moves on Saturday afternoon in helping to lead his team to the Division V State Championship over Johnstown-Monroe.

BuckeyeGrove.com was on hand for the state championships in Canton over the weekend and shot video of Parks' dazzling performance.

I grade the small all-purpose backs on a tougher scale than I do bigger prospects, but you'd have to be blind to not think Parks is special. It has been a long time since I've seen a young player that can make the type of moves that I saw from Parks on Saturday afternoon. He has an ability to make these jump cuts in tight spaces that is so rare and he is able to come out of those cuts seemingly running at full speed.

For Parks to realize his full potential, he's going to need to morph himself into a slot receiver. Spending the next two years in the weight room and taking extra time on the side to work on route-running and catching a hundred footballs every day. There is a place for guys like this in today's game at just about any level of the sport if he can build on what he already has and add top-level receiver skills to that.

It was a special performance and every school in the Midwest should be recruiting this kid right now.