Troy has reportedly found its replacement for former head coach Jon Sumrall, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Monday that the Trojans are expected to hire Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker.
Parker has been on Power 5 coaching staffs for a decade now. He spent four years as an offensive assistant coach for Purdue from 2013-16, working with tight ends and wide receivers. He was the Boilermakers’ interim head coach in his last year with the team after Darrell Hazell was fired in October 2016, although Purdue lost its final six games to finish 3-9.
After the Purdue stint, Parker worked as an offensive assistant and a wide receivers coach at Duke from 2017-18 and he worked as Penn State‘s wide receiver coach in 2019. He got his first coordinator job with West Virginia when he was in charge of the offense and wide receivers from 2020-21, and he joined the Notre Dame staff for the 2022 season. When former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left for Alabama ahead of the 2023 season, Parker assumed his role.
Sources: Troy is set to hire Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker as the school’s next coach. A deal is expected to be announced today. Parker is the former interim coach at Purdue and a former assistant at Penn State, WVU and Duke. pic.twitter.com/c9qRrOrSUX
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 18, 2023
Notre Dame’s offense was one of 2023’s best, as the Fighting Irish averaged 39.1 points per game this season, the eighth-best mark in the country, and finished ninth in the FBS at 6.95 yards per play. Notre Dame gained at least 400 yards in seven different games, and their 351 yards of offense against Ohio State was the second-most surrendered by the Buckeyes this season.
Parker will have big shoes to fill in his first head coaching job, as Sumrall led the Trojans to a 23-4 record in two seasons before he was hired as Tulane’s head coach.