‘My socks were soaked’: How a KU newcomer became one of the Big 12’s top receivers
The touchdown, Carter Stanley says, was created by trust.
When the Kansas quarterback cocked back and fired a red-zone throw to Andrew Parchment two weeks ago ... he did so because he knew exactly where Parchment was going to be.
“It was definitely tight, and it was a risk,” Stanley said. “But, you know, I’ve ran that route with A.P. probably 100 times — shoot more than that actually. I was very confident that he’d get there before that ‘backer got there, and it worked out.”
Perhaps we should start here when talking about Parchment’s breakout season for KU through four weeks: It was months in the making.
The 6-2, 180-pound juco transfer began a daily routine once arriving on campus in January — one that was inspired after an offseason meeting where players reaffirmed their goal of becoming bowl eligible in 2019.
“The whole entire team jumped on board with that,” Parchment said, “and that’s what we’re working towards every single day.”
Including in the dead of winter.
Parchment made the decision he was going to catch passes each day of the offseason with Stanley. The problem: He didn’t have a car yet, which meant a long walk from his apartment to Booth Memorial Stadium before the indoor practice facility had been completed.
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida native ... Parchment wasn’t especially equipped for this. He had a jacket and sweatpants, but many times, he’d trudge across the snow on campus while wearing slide sandals.
“My socks were soaked,” Parchment said with a laugh.
That dedication appears to have been rewarded, though.
Take that 3-yard touchdown reception against Boston College. Parchment said that route — a version of the post — was one that he and Stanley had worked on frequently before the season began.
Parchment doesn’t believe Stanley would have made the pass without those extra repetitions.
“Me being a former quarterback, if I don’t have confidence inside a receiver, I’m not going to look to his way first,” Parchment said. “So I hope that I’ve gained Carter’s confidence, and I just hope to do some more later on in the season.”
Parchment’s already off to an impressive start. His 367 receiving yards in the first four games are the most by a Jayhawk in more than a decade, while his four receiving touchdowns are tied for second in the Big 12.
“As soon as we got him on campus, we realized the abilities that he had to move his feet, catch the ball,” KU coach Les Miles said. “In just a matter of time, we were going to get him set up and into a position where he could make some catches. That’s happening now week in and week out.”
For Parchment, the results have been part of a longer process.
One that started in the winter — with all those cold walks to the stadium.
“It’s all working out right now,” Parchment said. “We’ve just got more to do, more numbers to put up, so I’m looking forward to it.”
