Derek Parish, a key member of the Cougars’ defensive line the past two seasons, was drafted in the seventh round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He will move to fullback with Jacksonville.
As an All-District first-team pick for the Oilers, he went on to have a banner career with the Houston Cougars.
Parish was off to the best start of his career last season with five sacks and 8 1/2 tackles for loss before suffering a season-ending biceps injury in Week 4 against Rice. He set the AAC single-game record with 4 1/2 sacks in a double-overtime loss to Texas Tech.
Parish, who is 6-2 and 245 pounds, was used sparingly in the backfield at UH. He played fullback almost exclusively at the Shrine Bowl, impressing NFL evaluators as a blocker and a receiver. He could eventually be a two-way player in the NFL.
Parish was the recipient of the East-West Shrine Bowl® Pat Tillman Award which is presented to a player who best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service.
[Photo by Lloyd Hendricks]
