St. Thomas has been fortunate to be blessed with depth at running back, such as Josh Parks, who entered training camp fourth on the Tommies' list at the position. University of St. Thomas photo by Mark Brown

Josh Parks knew he found the right place, but little did he know that he found it at just the right time.

The 20-year-old freshman is the latest example of St. Thomas’ impressive and fortuitous running back depth. The University of Minnesota transfer entered camp as a fourth-string tailback who had not seen meaningful game action in over two years. After getting just one carry in his first two games with the Tommies, Parks burst onto the D-III scene with 34 carries, 296 yards, and five touchdowns over the Tommies’ past three games.

Not bad for a guy who thought he was done playing football as recently as a few months ago.

“You just never know when the opportunity is going to come your way, whether that’s as a coach or as a player,” said Tommies coach Glenn Caruso. “You just have to be supremely receptive when those opportunities do come and make the most of them.”

That is exactly what Parks has done. After a record-setting high school career, he enrolled at Minnesota as a preferred walk-on. He redshirted his freshman year and moved to the defensive side of the ball. After one year with the Golden Gophers, he decided to transfer. He considered St. Thomas, but ultimately chose the Tommies’ rival, St. John’s. But an apartment lease that he could not break back in Minneapolis led him to depart from Collegeville before he could suit up for the Johnnies. He returned to Minnesota, but did not rejoin the football program there. He continued to live with former Golden Gophers teammates, but was coming to terms with the end of his football career.

“The toughest part was not being able to find the right school or the right football program,” said Parks. “I was ready to move on from football. I didn’t know what direction I was going to take.”

A teammate at Minnesota, quarterback Jacques Perra, decided to transfer and chose St. Thomas back in January. He knew that Parks had considered the Tommies out of high school and when he planned on transferring originally in 2015. Like Parks, Perra was a preferred walk-on at Minnesota; he decided to leave once head coach Jerry Kill retired. He delivered on a promise made with Caruso when the Tommies coach recruited him out of high school: Caruso told Perra that if the Division I route did not work out for him, to give Caruso a call.

“I always knew that he was a really good guy and was a really good coach. I also knew that St. Thomas had a really good year this past year, which helped,” said Perra. “I wanted to stay local. I thought it would be a good idea not just for my football career, but it’s a great school, too.”

At the time, Caruso was happy to land a talented quarterback who could push for playing time. He had little idea that Perra’s phone call would ultimately land the Tommies another talented running back, too. Perra’s federal work study program is in the St. Thomas football coaches’ office. Caruso commended him for his recruiting efforts and joked that he’s recruited better than some coaches on the Tommies staff.

Parks did not enroll with the pressure or expectations of carrying the offense. He knew he’d be backing up the reigning D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year in Jordan Roberts. But with Roberts sidelined by injury after Week 2, Parks became a valuable contributor. It took a sequence of events, and the Tommies are reaping the benefits this season. But it’s no accident, and it’s about much more than luck.  

“One of the things that’s really impressive is I think Josh is a perfect function of working, staying diligent, and then when give the opportunity, making the most of it,” said Caruso. “That’s kind of indicative of our team and our culture. I knew if given the opportunity that he’d be able to make the most of it. In the biggest games against very good opponents, he’s producing.”

Josh Parks very nearly ended up in red and white, but couldn't afford to go into the red by breaking an apartment lease, the story goes. University of St. Thomas photo by Mark Brown

Despite being away from the game for a full year and sidelined from game action for two full seasons, Parks knew he could help the reigning Stagg Bowl runners up. He embraced his role as a backup who could push a talented starter in practice and benefit from playing alongside Roberts.

“I was always confident with what I could do. I worked extremely hard last summer to get back in football shape,” said Parks. “I came in here with a positive mindset. I knew I could learn a lot from Jordan. Right when I got to camp, I felt that family atmosphere.”

That culture created by Caruso, in his ninth season at St. Thomas, is crucial to the success of Parks and every other backup who has burst onto the scene for the Tommies during Caruso’s tenure. Twenty times in the past nine seasons, a backup running back has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game for St. Thomas. Parks is the most recent to accomplish that feat, rushing for 143 yards against Carleton and 109 yards against St. John’s. His first touch against Carleton in Week 3 went for a 57-yard touchdown.

“It’s not just the ones that get written about on Saturdays. It’s really a function of our locker room and the culture and type of community that we have,” said Caruso. “Now that we’ve been here for nine years, it’s much clearer to look and see what that strength of culture gives you. This is one of those beautiful residual effects of having a strong culture.”

Perra was part of the Minnesota program for two seasons, redshirting his freshman year while rooming with Parks, and seeing limited action as a third-string quarterback last year. He saw playing time in a game at Purdue last season, which made him hungry for more.

“That feeling of getting in the game and playing, I realized that I missed it,” said Perra. “I missed that feeling. I knew I wanted more. I didn’t want to settle.”

He committed to Caruso and the Tommies, fully aware that he’d be entering a competition this season. Fifth-year senior Alex Fenske has seen the bulk of the snaps so far, attempting 101 passes and throwing for nine touchdowns. Perra has completed 20 of his 31 attempts and thrown for six touchdowns. The two have bonded despite their ongoing competition.

“What I think has to happen is whether or not you get that opportunity this year, or never, the only way it happens is if you’re working tremendously hard when that opportunity arises,” said Caruso. “That’s what our kids are focused on. They’re focused on the process, not the result.”

Caruso noted that no matter how much or how little success Perra and Parks have from Saturday to Saturday, they work just as hard Sunday through Friday each and every week.

“We have a lot of depth at every position, so there’s not set in stone starters every week. The culture here is different than anywhere I’ve been,” said Perra. “We’re a really tight-knit group. If you get beat out or you beat someone else out, there’s no beef. Everyone’s close. It’s a lot of fun to go out there and compete every day, knowing it’s not going to be a normal practice like everywhere else I’ve been.”

Last year, Jack Kaiser was the incumbent starter at running back and he started the first two games. After he got hurt, Roberts stepped up and seized his opportunity. This year, Roberts went down and Tucker Trettel stepped into the starter’s role. Trettel has rushed for 283 yards and five touchdowns this season. When the Tommies made their first Stagg Bowl appearance in 2012, freshman Brenton Braddock started in the championship game. He entered camp as the No. 6 running back on the depth chart that year. The Tommies seek out players who are willing to wait their turn, but are ready and capable if that turn comes sooner than expected.

“It’s not new to the culture of our program or to the running back position group,” said Caruso. “It’s mostly attributed to three things: number one, the kid being a mentally tough kid. Number two, a lot of that is taken care of in recruiting. If we don’t think a player has the wherewithal or the selflessness to be in a position where they might have to wait three years to be a starter, they have to have that in order for them to be a legitimate recruit for us. If they don’t, we’ve said goodbye to a lot of kids. We would eliminate a red flag that would say if I’m not playing, I’m not going to work as hard. That’s not how we work here. Lastly, and this is important, I think we have a locker room and a culture that is accepting of competition.”

In Caruso’s 106 games at the helm, he said, the travel roster has been the same just twice. “It’s ever-evolving, ever-changing, ever-competing.”

Fenske did not shun Perra upon his arrival in January. Trettel embraced Parks when he joined the team in August. It’s that friendly competition that makes the No. 4 Tommies one of the top programs in the nation.

“Those kids are each others’ best friends, biggest confidantes, and biggest competitors. That really speaks to how we want to raise our kids in this program,” said Caruso. “[Fullback] Jeremy Molina is the straw that stirs the drink for our running back position group. It’s that kind of selfless leader that allows everyone else to follow suit.”

Parks knows he made the right decision, even if the path to it was more circuitous than expected. Once he donned the purple and black and had the ball in his hands, he felt at home.

“Getting to the first game was huge for me. The game started to slow down. That was a big relief. After that, the butterflies went away and I was able to focus on football,” said Parks.

“I don’t know if I’d have a chip on my shoulder if I came here right away. Looking back, I’m thankful for the journey. It made me more humble and appreciative of the game more. I’m just happy that I’m here now.”

Players’ Corner

Robert Cleveland, Jr. is part of the multi-dimensional offensive attack that has Delaware Valley in contention to win its first MAC title since 2011. The Aggies had a setback against Albright, but believe they still control their destiny with games against Stevenson and Widener ahead. Cleveland, a senior who has rushed for four touchdowns this year, shared why he is passionate about playing at the Division III level.

I fell in love with football at age 4. I used to watch my cousins and brothers play Madden all the time and watch the games. At first, I didn’t really understand it, but it always intrigued me. I didn’t even start playing until I was 6, turning 7.

I guess I love the game because of how it affects people. It brings a drive and shows a person’s true character. Getting to prove your dominance over other people also is a big reason. When you line up against another team that put in so much hard work and you prove that your hard work was better than theirs, it just makes it all worth it. Granted, it is hard to love at times because of the hard work and because of the frustrations that come along with football. Nonetheless, it always feels worth it whenever you suit up.

As part of my attempt to rekindle a love for football, I’ll be reaching out to players all season long to give them space to explain why they love the game. If you or someone you know would like to be featured in Players’ Corner this year, please reach out to me at any time.

What do you know? Do you know things? Let's find out!

There are so many worthy stories to be told and I can’t find them all on my own. Please share with me those stories that make you passionate about D-III football. If you have suggestions for next week's column, please reach out to me on Twitter at @adamturer or via email at adam.turer@d3sports.com. Thanks for reading!