Move to defense paying off for Sansing, Patriots
Parker Sansing always dreamed of scoring a touchdown for the Homewood High School football team.
It was a reasonable goal, having grown up playing wide receiver. He and his dad would work on running routes and catching balls, preparing for the day he could do that on the big stage for the Patriots.
In 2022, during his senior season, Sansing did accomplish that goal of scoring a touchdown for Homewood. But it was a little different than how he envisioned it.
Chilton County’s promising drive advanced the Tigers inside the red zone, but an errant pass landed in the arms of Sansing, who bolted 87 yards in the other direction for a Homewood touchdown. The score gave the Patriots a 14-3 lead, and the Patriots pulled away for a 31-10 win Oct. 6.
If that touchdown sounds more like Sansing playing the role of defender, that’s because he now plays on the opposite side of the ball for the Patriots. An injury at the start of his sophomore season led to Sansing shifting from receiver to cornerback ahead of his junior year.
“Back in the day, I’d always think it would be offense,” Sansing said of how he envisioned his first varsity touchdown.
Homewood defensive coordinator Freddy Lawrence is as understated as a football coach comes, but even he calls Sansing one of the best corners he has had the pleasure to coach. That’s quite an ascension for someone who has played the position for just over a calendar year.
“What you see is what you get,” Lawrence said of Sansing, who is listed at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds. “He can run. It’s so typical here at Homewood to have a guy like that. He’s a great kid.”
Lawrence said Sansing had four touchdown-saving plays in the Patriots’ tight 31-24 win over Benjamin Russell. If just one of those plays turns into a score, the outcome is different.
“With him, it’s more body position,” Lawrence said of what makes him tough on opposing receivers. “I can show you clips of him being beat, but he doesn’t quit. If the ball’s not perfect, he’s got a chance to make a play.”
Sansing said the biggest adjustment in his transition to defense was learning how to flip his hips and learning how to react to cues from the receiver he is covering.
“At receiver, you know when you’re going and how you’re doing it. But at DB, you’ve got to react. Footwork and being able to move my hips and be able to read which way they’re going to go [is the key],” Sansing said.
He has gone up against receivers with a significant size advantage and ones that have recruiting interest from Power 5 schools. He doesn’t back down from that challenge.
“I have nothing to lose against this guy. I have everything to gain from playing my best against this guy. He might have stars, he might have height and talent, but I’m going out there to prove myself and show I can go with these people,” he said.
Sansing is aiming to play college football, and currently has drawn interest from Birmingham-Southern College. If college programs listen to Lawrence, more schools will come knocking at the door.
“There’s a lot of places he can play if given an opportunity,” Lawrence said.