Long-Time Neal Brown Acquaintance, Kentucky Native Gerad Parker Named New Offensive Coordinator

West Virginia’s offensive coaching staff welcomed a new member over the weekend with the addition of new offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Gerad Parker the university announced Friday.

Thanks to Coach Franklin and the players and staff for making me and my family feel at home in Happy Valley!
Excited about this next step in life and what better place to do it than the country roads of #HailWV ready to sing that song! #TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/ZkkBfFfo8s

— Gerad Parker (@GeradParker1) January 11, 2020

Parker spent the 2019 season as the pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach at Penn State. At WVU he will replace departed receivers coach Xavier Dye and take over offensive coordinator duties from offensive line coach Matt Moore and running backs coach Chad Scott. Head coach Neal Brown called plays on offense for the Mountaineers this season and it is unknown if he will relinquish that duty to Parker moving forward.

Parker, a native of Kentucky, played at the University of Kentucky as a wide receiver from 2000-04. He and Brown overlapped as players at Kentucky in 2000. Via a press release, Brown said he and Parker have known each other for a long time.

“I’m excited to add Gerad to the coaching staff at West Virginia,” Brown said. “I have known him for many years, and we have similar roots in the state of Kentucky. He brings years of successful experience, not only on the field but also as a recruiter who has covered a lot of territory. He will make an immediate impact on our staff. I look forward to him and his wife, Kandi, and their family becoming a part of Mountaineer football.”

In the same press release, Parker expressed that he has nothing but respect for Brown and his career thus far.

“I’m excited to be joining Neal Brown’s staff at West Virginia and becoming a part of the Mountaineer football family,” Parker said. “I have known Neal for a long time and have the utmost respect for him as a coach, a man, husband and father. I have seen his progression and have kept up with him as a head coach and know he is special…I am honored and thankful to join this staff and work with these players. I look forward to trusting the climb.”

This season with the Nittany Lions, Parker coached KJ Hamler to a second-team All-Big 10 season. The junior caught 56 passes for 904 yards and eight touchdowns. Two other receivers had at least 400 receiving yards, Pat Friermuth (507) and Jahan Dotson (488). As a team, PSU passed for 2,877 total yards and 25 touchdowns.

Before Penn State, Parker spent two seasons at Duke, as an operations assistant in 2017 and receivers coach in 2018.

The Blue Devils had two receivers catch more than 45 passes in 2018, Jalon Calhoun (46 receptions, 420 yards) and Noah Gray (51 receptions, 392 yards).

Prior to Duke, Parker was at Purdue from 2013-2016. He spent 2013-14 as the tight ends coach and 2015-16 as wide receivers coach. He was named Purdue’s interim head coach for the final six games of the 2016 season.

Parker’s best receiver at Purdue was Deangelo Yancey. Yancey caught 48 passes for 700 yards and five touchdowns in 2015 and was an All-Big 10 selection with 49 receptions, 951 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Boilermakers lost all six games with Parker as interim head coach.

Before Purdue, Parker’s first division-I job came as the receivers coach at Marshall from 2011-12. The Thundering Herd led the nation in passing in 2012, with receiver Tommy Shule catching 110 passes for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns.

A new offensive mind might be just was the doctor ordered for WVU as the Mountaineers were last in the Big 12 in scoring offense (20.6 points per game), offensive yards (321.9 per game) and rushing offense (879 yards).

West Virginia returns almost all of its impact skill players from a year ago with the exceptions of receiver George Campbell and running back Kennedy McKoy.