Cortez Hankton drew a pretty powerful comparison for new Ohio State wide receiver Kyle Parker as he lost his black stripe.
Ohio State Buckeyes' newest wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton has had the opportunity to coach two of the most dynamic wide receiver rooms in the entire country.
He cut his teeth as the coach of the LSU Tigers' wide receiver room before being hired as the guy to replace Brian Hartline in Columbus and uphold the standard to be a Buckeye wide receiver.
Before it gets serious in the fall, Hankton had a really powerful moment for his current wide receiver, Kyle Parker, as he reminded the coach of their late teammate Kyren Lacy.
Lacy was an amazing young prospect who had his life cut short over what was a very bad situation that took place in Baton Rouge almost a full year ago.
Hankton talked about how each time he steps in between the white lines onto the field, he is trying to honor Kyren, who was "like (his) son." He reminisced about how a day like today would have made Lacy so proud of his "brother" as he accomplished a major goal.
Hankton smiled from ear to ear as he connected the dots and talked about the impact his players have on him while he tries to make a huge impact on them and their lives as men, not just as football players.
It's situations like this that really make you stop and think about the power and the impact that a football team has on the young men who are on it.
Life happens, stuff goes sideways, but there is always a brotherhood that is there for a player that is his team.
Parker has already obviously taken full advantage of his opportunities in Columbus to this point. To have your black stripe removed in less than 10 practices says that he has been a leader off the field for this team since he transferred in.
Now that he is getting the opportunity to show it on the field, he is taking that step.
To get to where Ohio State wants to go, feel-good stories will unfortunately not be enough. Parker will need to elevate his game to levels that it has frankly never been. Parker finished with just 31 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns last year.
He will need more than that to make the kind of impact that Ohio State needs. Whether he does or doesnt do that on the field, he knows that his brother, Kyren Lacy, is smiling down on him from above.
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