Parker Titsworth had a less-than-normal career before coming to Ohio. The Wexford, Pennsylvania, native didn’t have an offer coming out of North Allegheny High School and found himself at Ohio with only a preferred walk-on spot.
“One day (Coach Albin) gave me a call, and he said, ‘You’re built like a center but you move like a running back,’ and then he offered me a preferred walk-on spot,” Titsworth said.
That call from Ohio coach Tim Albin changed the trajectory of Titsworth’s career. The 6-foot-1-inch center only played about four total games in high school after an injury-riddled career but still found himself on a Division 1 FBS roster.
Since that call with Albin, Titsworth has become a pivotal part of the Ohio offense for the past two seasons. In 2024, Titsworth plays the role of team captain on an offensive line that has been nothing short of dominant to start the season.
Titsworth enters his sixth and final season with Ohio in 2024, making him the longest-tenured player on the roster. To stay with a program for six years is rare in today’s college football landscape, but Titsworth has loved every minute of being in Athens.
“The relationships that I’ve formed; it's something that can’t be broken,” Titsworth said. “I love all the coaches on staff, and everyone wearing a uniform is basically my brother. You don’t get that at every other school.”
Several different moments stand out to Titsworth over his six years with Ohio, but one will always stand out above the rest – the day he got a surprise scholarship.
“I’ll always remember the phone call I had to my parents afterward; I could never be more thankful to Coach Albin and the staff,” Titsworth said.
Titsworth remembers the exact day – August 24, 2021. It was the last week of camp, and Titsworth had just finished a long day of practice in the heat of the summer; he just wanted to go home and shower when the whistle blew at practice's end.
“I was just ready to get out of there, it was a hot day; I lost like 14 pounds at practice that day,” Titsworth said. “I was so dehydrated that (when I got called up) I was crying, but no tears came out, so it was just an ugly cry … It was great to just celebrate with my teammates and call my parents.”
Titsworth’s time making memories in Athens isn’t over quite yet. The center has at least eight more games to play in an Ohio uniform, at least four of which will come on the team's home turf at Peden Stadium.
The first of those final eight games will be this weekend against Akron for Homecoming.
The Homecoming football game has come to mean something different to Titsworth compared to his first year with Ohio. The main difference now is that Titsworth considers Athens his home too.
Titsworth’s hometown of Wexford is a little over 200 miles away from Athens. Though being pretty far away from where he grew up, Titsworth has made Athens feel like home over the last six years.
“I’ve always thought of (Athens) as a home away from home,” Titsworth said. “My offers were limited coming out of high school, but when I came here on an official visit, it was a no-brainer for me.”
From the campus to the people, Titsworth has loved every bit of living in Athens.
“The campus is absolutely gorgeous,” Titsworth said. “You see the same people every single day, so it's so easy to make friends. The name and number aspect for me has allowed me to meet so many people that I would have never considered talking to … It’s just a very loving and caring university.”
Titsworth has yet to be able to wrap his head around the fact that this is his last season at Ohio, but when the day finally comes when he runs out onto the field one last time, it is sure to be full of emotion.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Titsworth said. “I’m taking it day by day; I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s amazing to me because I remember exactly what I did my first day of my freshman year. It’s kind of surreal to me that it’s flown by so fast because in the moment, it feels long as life but it’s gone within the blink of an eye.”
