Louisville football: The 50 greatest Cardinals of all time
As if being one of the top wide receivers and most talented players to ever a Cardinal uniform isn’t enough, DeVante Parker did so representing the City of Louisville every time he stepped out onto the field. It’s one of the many reasons why Parker is one of the best receivers in program history and No. 9 on our list.
There are plenty of local players who have excelled at one of the many successful area high schools around the City of Louisville (community of Kentuckiana), but none have come into the program with as much hype as Parker and left with as much production.
Being the same age as Parker, I remember many of Friday nights out on the football field at Male High School watching him wear the No. 1 jersey for Ballard High School, making highlight-reel after highlight-reel play.
The joke around Jefferson County was all you had to was have Parker run a simple go-route downfield and just get the ball in his general vicinity. No matter what, he was going to catch it.
That didn’t stop once he got to Louisville.
Playing alongside Damian Copeland, Parker quickly became one of the most reliable targets for Charlie Strong and rising quarterback Teddy Bridgwater. As a freshman, he quickly put his stamp on the program becoming a household name to the average fan with his ability to go up and get football’s that no player had any business catching.
His hops, athleticism and hands were probably the best in program history. Not even the top corners in the Big East had any chance of stopping him when he was on.
Over the course of the next three years, Parker was in the business of dropping jaws. Saturday after Saturday after Saturday, there were highlights of Bridgewater hitting Parker in stride down the sideline to put games away, take the lead or get the Cards back into things.
He became not only one of the top receivers in Louisville history but also became a top target across college football for NFL teams.
He made plenty of iconic catches, including his run after the catch against Cincinnati, the corner of the endzone touchdown against Florida in the Sugar Bowl, his impressive leap over a defender and then subsequent celebration against Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl, amongst plenty of others.
Parker finished his career at Louisville with 156 total receptions, 2,775 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns, putting his name all over the record books.
The Louisville native is fourth in program history in total receiving yards and tied for first with Ibn Green for most touchdowns as a receiver, as well as most touchdowns in a single season with 12. He was named First-Team All-AAC in 2013 and only after playing in six games in 2014 due to injury, he finished Second-Team All-ACC.
There are too many big games to name his biggest standout performance, but just off the cusp his 214 yards receiving against Florida State in 2014, on a broken foot, quickly comes to mind. Whether it was the Big East, AAC, or ACC, no one could cover Parker. He had the speed of a slot receiver and combined it with athleticism and crazy hops that made him a nightmare for everyone.
Parker could take a five-yard slant pass the distance in the blink of an eye or jump with three defenders and somehow manage to come away with the ball. He formed one of the greatest dynamic duos with Teddy Bridgewater and gave fans four years straight of highlight plays.
Since leaving Louisville and being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, Parker has had an up-and-down career. Most of it has been due to injury or self-affliction, but he’s also had extremely bad luck with coaches and coordinators.
Still, Parker is talented and is close to breaking out. If he can show the Dolphins and everyone else across the NFL what we saw, there’s no ceiling on how good he can become.