Local Desert Vista QB Parker Navarro offered a scholarship by hometown team
A fairly quiet recruiting process for Phoenix Desert Vista High School quarterback Parker Navarro has picked up quite a bit of steam on Monday as he received his first Power 5 offer, which came from the program he may be familiar with the most. The Thunder signal-caller talked to us about the recruiting process with the Sun Devils and his other suitors.
“I have been in communication with ASU ever since they offered me as a preferred walk-on (on December 17th, 2019),” Navarro said. “So today they told me that they wanted to offer me a full scholarship. I talked to (offensive coordinator) coach Hill and coach Edwards. They told me what a great advantage it would be to stay in-state and getting to learn the offense. I know Jayden Daniels is the starter but they said that they want me to come in and push him, and if I come there that’s what I plan to do. That would be the path for me.
“I’ve talked to coach Hill many times, mainly by text but we also had some phone calls. He likes my ability to extend plays and the way I throw the ball. He said that he feels that my skill set can be really good for what they are trying to run on offense. Being a little undersized, some may consider that a weakness, but I really don’t. I’m a relentless player and that’s something I always try to display on the field.”
As a senior for the Thunder Navarro threw for 2,749 yards, 26 TDs and 6 INTs at a 64 percent completion rate. The dual-threat quarterback was very potent on the ground as well running for 959 yards and scoring 11 TDs.
“Navarro is an extremely athletic QB who possesses some serious strength,” said recruiting analyst Cody Cameron. “He has great touch on his deep ball. His ability to keep plays alive with his feet AND throw an accurate pass on the run makes him a special QB. His Head Coach told me he's one of the hardest workers on and off the field, and that’s evident with his awesome (4.0) GPA. Great player and leader for that Desert Vista team over the past couple of seasons.”
Navarro said that he has been attending ASU games since a young age and this past season whether in-person or on TV he has watched the majority of the Sun Devils’ contests. He felt that ASU ran an offensive system that played to their strengths and that even though the scheme this year is guaranteed to be different with first-year coordinator Hill, that it will continue to exhibit that trait.
“If I came there I think ASU would be a good fit seeing how they can develop their players, especially at the quarterback position,” Navarro remarked. “It’s a system that would really expose me to a lot of new things and really improve my knowledge of the game. Coach Hill is a great guy and we really have a great connection. You can tell that he’s focused on the players and cares about the players first. I sense that he’s a very sincere guy.
“I also appreciate that coach Edwards is honest and upfront. He never beats around the bush and I’d say that he has a great personality to be a head coach. I talked to him not only today (Monday) but also when they offered me a preferred walk-on. I didn’t really get to talk much to the ASU coaches before they offered me a preferred walk-on.”
Navarro, who will graduate in May visited Sacramento State during the season, and plans to take an official visit to Hawaii this weekend (our interview was conducted before news broke that Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich was hired by Washington State) and later this month visit Central Florida who unlike the other schools has yet to offer. With the February 5th signing day looming large the Desert Vista standout said that he would like to make his decision by then, but that he isn’t locked on that timetable.
“I have to look at the ASU offer with my family and just consider everything,” Navarro stated. “I can’t give an accurate description of where all the schools stand right now. My family and I always talked about the possibility of playing in-state and it’s really cool that now it’s a possibility.
“When I choose a school the most important thing for me will be my relationship with the coaches because I will be around them the majority of the time and I need to relate to them. That’s the biggest factor, being around sincere and honest people, and obviously having good players on the team. Education is obviously important too.”
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