Jon Sumrall secured another recruit for The Swamp on Thursday night. Per On3 Rivals, senior safety Eric Parks, a former high school teammate of Dallas Wilson, has committed to the University of Florida. Parks confirmed his commitment to the Gators via his X account as well.
Per Dylan Olive of Florida Gators on SI, he is already on campus as well.
🚨BREAKING🚨 Safety Eric Parks has committed to Florida, @PeteNakos reports🐊https://t.co/hXitsAkrgC pic.twitter.com/QS24LjxHls
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 5, 2026
3⭐️ Saftey Eric Parks is already on campus and will be joining the Florida Gators, he recently announced.
— Dylan Olive (@DylanOlive_UF) February 6, 2026
Dallas Wilson’s teammate in high school who recorded 32 tackles and 3 PBUs as a senior in 2025. #Gators pic.twitter.com/XxrzdGMH5N
According to Stadium and Gale: A Florida Gators Podcast, the Gators added him as a preferred walk-on.
Florida adds S Eric Parks as a preferred walk-on.
— Stadium and Gale: A Florida Gators Podcast (@StadiumAndGale) February 6, 2026
Parks had offers from USF, UCF, Wake Forest, and others. He was high school teammates with Dallas Wilson. https://t.co/htxztNeBkr
Parks, a former FAU commit decommitted from the Owls in October.
Over the course of the last four years with Tampa Bay Tech High School, Parks has played in 37 games defensively, racking up 115 tackles, of which 65 were solo, and 50 were assisted. He averaged 3.1 tackles per game and 15 tackles for loss.
Parks also had two interceptions for 19 yards, averaging 9.5 yards, six passes defended, one fumble recovery, and one blocked field goal.
In his 2025 senior year, he played in eight games, totaling 31 tackles, 17 solo and 14 assisted, with an average 3.9 tackles per game and 3.0 tackles for loss.
On3 has the 2026 recruit ranked No. 1732 nationally, the No. 162 safety coming out of the class of 2026, and the No. 194 recruit out of Florida.
He is also ranked by ESPN as the No. 92 safety, No. 499 regionally, and the No. 141 recruit in the state.
When you look at his tapes, Parks shows a strong ability to break tackles. On an interception his senior year, he broke three plus tackles and found open space to return the interception for positive yardage for Tampa Bay Tech. He also uses his speed to stop the offense and find the ball carrier to bring them down with strong, hard hits.
He is known for being a versatile defensive back with safety and cornerback experience.
The 5’11”, 190lb Tampa native had offers from Coastal Carolina, Florida Atlantic (where he originally committed, then decommitted in October), Florida International, Jacksonville State, Liberty University, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Toledo, Central Florida, UConn, Wake Forest, and the school it is now confirmed he will attend, the University of Florida.