Home Grown: Miles Parker

Miles Parker’s journey from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to East Carolina University football is what “trust the process” actually looks like in real life.
This isn’t a highlight reel — it’s the work behind it.

In this episode of Home Grown, Miles breaks down what it takes to earn your way at the Division I level, from late recruiting exposure to grinding on the scout team and building trust inside a college football program.

If you’re a high school athlete, parent, or coach trying to understand college football recruiting, player development, and mindset, this is a must-watch.
 
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
• The reality of college football recruiting (and why it starts earlier than you think)
• How being a multi-sport athlete long-term development
• Why the weight room became a turning point in his career
• What it’s really like going from high school star to “back at the bottom” in college
• How Miles turned scout team into an opportunity — and earned “scout team champion”
• The challenge of switching positions (defense ➡️ tight end)
• The importance of special teams in earning playing time
• Lessons from competing in bowl games and high-pressure moments
• Why staying connected to your hometown still matters
 
From Local to D1
From packed Friday night lights in Cardinal Stadium in Jacksonville, NC, to Saturdays at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Miles Parker’s story is about consistency, patience, and doing the work when nobody is watching.
 
Who This Episode Is For:
✔️ High school football players
✔️ Multi-sport athletes
✔️ Parents navigating recruiting
✔️ Coaches building development programs
✔️ Anyone chasing the next level
 
Call to Action
👉 Subscribe for more local athlete stories and high school sports coverage
👉 Share this with an athlete who needs to hear it
👉 Drop a comment: What’s the biggest lesson you took from Miles’ story?

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Support for homegrown is provided by Humphrey Heating and Air Condition, proudly serving eastern North Carolina since 1967.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

They grew up on our fields, on our courts, in our towns. And now they've taken that hometown pride to the college. This is homegrown. Real athletes, real story.

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Welcome to Grove. The show or we spotlight hometown athletes who carry the spirit of their community wherever the game takes them. Today's guest is a great example of what this series is all about. From Friday night lights at Jacksonville High School to Saturdays inside Doughty Ficklin Stadium. He's a player who never forgot where he came from, even as his role, position, and path continued to golf. Miles Parker made a name for himself at Jackswell High School as a multi-sport standout, earning recognition as one of the areas' top defense players and drawing interest from several college programs a long way. Ultimately, he chose East Carolina University, a decision that led to growth on the field, in the classroom, and within one of the most demanding programs in the state. Along the way, he's embraced a position change, earned academic honors, and has become a part of back-to-back bowl wins with victors at C State and Pittsburgh. This is a story about patience, versatility, pride, and staying connected to home while chasing something better. Miles Parker, welcome to Home Grown. Thank you. All right, man. Let's just let's get started where we need to start at the beginning. You grew up in Jacksonville, played multi uh sports at a high level. I think you played lacrosse and football, correct? Right. Um so when you think back on your time at Jacksville High School, what did it mean representing the school, the community, your family and Jacksonville?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Yeah, I mean Jacksonville's a special place. You know, it's it's one of those places where you're you go to any kind of game, you know, any kind of game high school and always a packed home crowd. Yeah, you know, especially for um, you know, there's never an open seat. You got people standing in the end zone, standing on side of the fence, you know, cheering loud. Um it's just a special place and then you know the cross. It's only us north side around here that has a team. And um, I mean, that's a that's a cool opportunity to play because um it's been around forever. Yeah. So and it's another contact where I ain't all.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

So speaking of that, so my nephew uh who is several years older than you, but uh when he was in middle school, uh went to Newbridge football. Uh and at the end of football season, uh, one of his teammates said, Hey, my dad uh starting a a lacrosse or a cross a lacrosse league, which ended up being Onsload Tribe, the lacrosse league.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

I played with Anzalo.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

Did you?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:06

So he's like, hey, come on and play. And and my nephew was like, Man, I don't know anything about lacrosse. And he was like, Well, we get to wear pads in people. And he was like, Okay, I mean, so yeah, uh anyway, so that got him hooked. So four-year starter all you know at lacrosse, three-year starter at football. How'd being a multi-sports athlete shape the way that you compete and prepare?

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Well, you're always preparing for the next season, you know. When you get on football, prepare for lacrosse. When you get on on the cross, prepare for football again next season. So um, you know, it always keeps you training on the offseason, you know, getting ready to play, compete.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Yeah, it probably keeps your mind sharp too. Not not just physically, but mentally, it keeps your mind sharp, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:49

It keeps you on top of things, it it keeps the slack out.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

Which is always a good thing. So your soul year was when you really started drawing college attention. Um, and that picked up due in part to uh a deep run that you guys made uh in the uh in the playoffs. Was that was the state championship game or was it the year you sent the regional?

SPEAKER_01 4:09

That that's the game we like to the regional J Trokay at J Tro.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Okay, okay. You guys made a deep run. Um when did you first realize that football could maybe take you to the next level?

SPEAKER_01 4:20

You know, I didn't even download Twitter. You know, everything, all the recruitings on Twitter, and I didn't even download it until my second year. And um that was only because after sophomore year, you know, I ended up with some some good stats um at the end of the year. And uh Coach Bo started to bring me into his office, um, started talking with coaches and started inviting me to camps and telling me like, you know, follow me on Twitter and all this, that and I was social media savvy at that time, right? I had to find out, you know, how to use Twitter and all that, look, look him up, yeah, and uh follow them and start texting them on there. And uh yeah, once that started, I was like, okay. This could really be something. This could be something. And you know, at the time I was oh I don't know. I was just starting to get tall. I was still kind of scrawny. Yeah. So, you know, maybe maybe a little over 200 pounds.

SPEAKER_03 5:12

So um Do you have you do you like to lift weights? I love it. You have to. Oh, and did you always, or was it something during that time, was it something that you said, hey man, I'm it ought to do this, I gotta hit hit the weights. But no coach Bo is lifting. So talk a little bit about that, man.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

So so when I was young, I was always like an active, I wasn't an eye patch at all, I was outside. You know, we grew up on a farm um out there in Maple Hill. Okay. So um always outside. I got three brothers. Or um, you know, two brothers, one sister. But she she she stuck with us for good. And uh um, you know, always always outside doing stuff and always being active. You know, so it wasn't really that hard to start working on then I didn't lift weights. Um I didn't even lift weights until my freshman year. Yeah. And when I got into Coach Bo's fourth period weight training program, that was then it then it got real. Yeah. And uh, you know, then the mark was hit two or five before your sophomore year and ended, and then the mark was three fifteen, hit on the wall. And um, you know, I always wanted to I wanted to be the best at something like that. You know, there was things in LaBuddy, that's exactly I started doing it up by myself, you know, going before school, and then working out again after af at school. So, you know, then it became a routine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:36

So that's great. Yeah. Senior year breakout man. All area, all district, all conference, several d several different offers. What clipped for you that season?

SPEAKER_01 6:48

What was it? I guess like all the work in the offseason started paying off. Like um, you know, I was seeing little results, you know, throughout high school, like my junior year. Um, I didn't have a bad year that year. Football really started getting easy. Yeah. And it started and it was way more fun. And um, you know, I guess everything just started clicking. I got I was less, you know, a lot of opportunities to make big plays. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Just in the right place at the right time and made it happen.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Made it happen.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

That is that is awesome. So a ton of D1 offers. You ultimately chose East Carolina. And looking back on the all the offers you received, what what factored most as you evaluated the schools, and then what ultimately felt right for you about East Carolina?

SPEAKER_01 7:40

So I had I had a bunch of small schools, like SDS, like LIU, um Stone Hill, um, like small, like AT, um, North Carolina Central. Had schools like that. Um but I really wanted to go somewhere where I felt like football was the most important. Like on Saturdays we had a full crowd and you know that people cared about it.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

The whole atmosphere, the tailgating of the fans, and just ever everybody's just stoked for Saturdays, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Right. And um, you know, I even got an offer from the Navy, which is a pretty prestigious. Oh, absolutely. Um, you know, that was an art. But I felt like I felt like that wasn't, you know, so somewhere I want to be. Yeah. You know, I went up there, I visited. Um, you know, I didn't mind it. And uh, you know, everyone up there was really great, wishing me a good time.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

Um it's uh it's more than football, dude. It's uh so more than football. Yeah, so so I mean so let me just kind of it wasn't the Naval Academy, but I was in school. I went down to the citadel, which is a which is a military school, not as prestigious as as the Naval Academy, but um it is a mindset, and it and it is so it's just something that you you just got to understand that that football is part of what you do with that is to the academics, but then it's just the I was my hair was always a little bit longer and I never I didn't want to get there, dude. I didn't want to do it. So uh had to like round the corner, couldn't walk on the on the sidewalk as a freshman or as a cleave or whatever. Had to walk in the gutters and I was like, yeah, that's not and I really folks, you know, I called yeah, I talked to McKenzie Morrow who's playing soccer up there. Uh I really admire all the kids, young adults that die to do it just for me.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

No, yeah, exactly. So I know where you come from, but but you know, McKinsey got a great opportunity. She took it. Um, you know, for the most part, I think she loves it there. So you know, I'm glad that worked out for her. But that wasn't for miles. Yeah, it wasn't for miles. Um and you know, ECU, and then you know, ECU gave me an opportunity to play there, and you know, I've always been a ECU fan. Okay, you know, it's an hour and a half away from from home. So the same people that watch you on Friday nights, the same people that can be watching you on Saturday nights. So, you know, that that played a big part in it.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

That's awesome. Yeah. So your first year at ECU required some adjustment. New expectations, new high level of competition, and learning what it takes to contribute at the D1 level. So talk a little bit about that transition from high school to college.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Yeah, I mean, you're back at the bottom again. Um, you know, you went to your high high from high school, you know, you were a senior, yeah, felt invincible. Yeah. You're a big fish in a little pond, too, right? And uh and then you get to university where there's thousands and thousands of people walking around campus in a faces you've never seen before. Um, you know, your your team has grown, you know, everyone's there to compete and play. Um so you know, you you just gotta you gotta prove yourself every day and don't take anything for granted because you know you never know what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_03 10:50

So it was a it was a quite adjustment here hearing what you're saying, uh not only from the football perspective, but socially, I mean from the social perspective, from the classes, you probably have classes of 30, 40 kids, and you probably took some classes where you had a hundred, hundred and fifty kids in in the classes and stuff like that. Every tip was full. And every tip was full. And uh and the biggest thing, of course, a little bit different with the football program, you did kind of have somebody monitoring you, but for the most part, mama wasn't there to say, smiles, get up and go to school, right? Yeah, so that's that's always a tough one too. So, but you did stand up, you found a way to stand out your freshman year, and I think this is awesome. You didn't see the field much with the with the starters and playing time, but asked you to be on the scout team, right? And just like you said earlier in this conversation, uh, you want to be the best of the best of the best. So you found out that there was a scout team champion of the year, which I would call scout team MVP. And you pretty much set your goals that hey, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right, and that's what you earn, scout team champion of of the year. So talk about that, but also talk about what the seat that season taught you about uh work ethic, role acceptance and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Yeah, so um, you know, it wasn't unusual to be on scout teams everything. And um and when I found out the scout team champion, I went into every week saying, you know, there's a bunch of us on the scout team. We had we had two different teams of scout team on defense that would take turns and and I started to get to the point where I wasn't letting anybody, I was playing every single rep, doing all I could. And you know, I thought it was important too because you know, you're there to help the offense play the best they can on on a deal. Like if we're getting ready for App State, you know, I gotta be the best at App State's defense. Yeah, and you know, and I had to play up because those guys are, you know, they may be seniors, juniors, yeah, all different skill levels. So um it was many, you know, wanting wanting my team to win and uh and then me being the best at the end that is amazing because you you know, you did, you played a direct role every week in the success of East Carolina University football by you giving up your all.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

And you know, and I hate to sound so cliche, but if you've ever watched the the movie Rudy, the same the same way that he goes about being on the scout team, that's how you attack it. And and I never forget in one of the scenes, one of the guys that was a high recruit on the offense, uh, he and Rudy get into a fight because he's kind of and I'm just he's taking it easy. Yeah, he's taking it easy. And Rudy's out there and says, if I don't do my job, then you're not gonna do your job tired these man. Exactly. That's a that's amazing. You're I I just I mean, I just think that's awesome. That is just that's awesome. This season changed. You played a lot, played all special teams, position change. So you move from defense and getting to hit people to tight end, getting to block, right, maybe catch pass every night, maybe catch pass every night. So first talk about how it felt to the work you put in, not just your freshman year, but whole time during high school. And then that translates into siders, man.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

I mean, I mean it was awesome. I mean, my freshman year, um you know, just was just trying to make the dress list on Saturdays, and then not everyone got the dress. You had to really you had to you had to be a scout team player that we could dress. And um so I went from just trying to make the dress list or trying to make travel squad to um then trying to get more minutes on the field. Um But yeah, it felt good and uh work finally paid off. I remember my first game running out onto the field um this season knowing I was gonna play snaps. That's you and I was and you know it gave me chills because it's everything you w you worked for and so much more than in Daddy Fish.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

Did you sleep the night before?

SPEAKER_01 14:56

No, I couldn't. Do you I mean no man, I I look I know you couldn't, dude.

SPEAKER_03 14:59

I mean it's that yeah, I know it's that feeling, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Yeah, but it but I mean it feels great and it feels good to be able to participate. You know, I did my job, you know, freshman year, um, you know, preparing them to play. And I didn't replay I didn't play on weekends, so it felt good to do my part on the weekends.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

That's that's awesome. Yeah. So when I was talking to a teammate of yours, I guess graduated now, Tamir Brown, um two mil two military bowls in a row. Um, I would dare say, as a UNC guy, I'll admit it. You see right now, last year's probably the best team in the state of North Carolina. Yeah. Y'all had a coaching change last year. Uh Coach Harold has come in, I think, since he's been, I think I saw the stat 14 and five. This is a great since since he's been there, man. So you guys are rocking and rolling, and you played a major role in that with those uh bowl victories. What do moments like that mean to you when you think about your journey, think about your journey and everything?

SPEAKER_01 15:57

I mean, it's a blessing. Um, it's hard to win college football games, and it's really hard to win buckets. Yeah, I mean, the time you're playing that you don't normally play.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

And y'all playing this last one, y'all were playing a ref. The one uh the cra the crazy phantom call. But but yeah, but anyway.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

I was in on that play. I remember, you know, I I blocked a guy on the ground and I remember looking up we were scoring and you were just like I was like, I was sensing and then I was like, what could the you know? Yeah, the phantom whistle. Yeah, no flag or anything.

SPEAKER_03 16:31

And then they come back and get a turnover. Yeah, they they had a strip sack strip sack and turned it into a that's a 12-point swing. I mean, I count the extra points, 12-point swing.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah, and that can that can really ruin you. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

But you got yeah, but you guys did let it down. I mean, you guys, I mean, you pounded back and uh I mean it was awesome too.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

But bowl games, yeah, they're they're awesome. You know, we go up there for a week and we spend the week up there and um you know, just be around your teammates and around all your coaches. You know, this time military bowl is over Christmas. Yeah so you know you're there with them on Christmas and and uh next. So, you know, it's a good time. It's it's definitely it's definitely something to look back on.

SPEAKER_03 17:11

You know, and I don't know if you thought about this, I'm sure you probably did. Very ironic military bowl, Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. Nave Academy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

You went by freshman year. I was so I was like, well damn, I guess I got to play here. I guess gonna play I'm gonna play here now, right? I got to play here after all. Wow. So um, you know, that was that was kind of we know again this year. Um, I mean, but you know, it was a cool experience.

SPEAKER_03 17:36

It was a good cool, cool experience. So, even at the college level, man, you're still repping Jacksonville. You're still repping your family, repping Jacksville, Jacksonville High School every time you put on the uniform. How is it how important is it that hometown connection to you?

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Yeah, like I said, Jacksonville's only an hour and a half, and you know, then people that watch me on Friday nights are are watching again Saturday nights, so um, you know, it means a lot and not everyone not everyone from Jacksonville gets an opportunity like this. So there's there's a few of us that most of the time, you know, they don't really get that opportunity. So try to make it count. You know, try to try to make them proud. Yeah um the guys I played with, you know, we're all tight. Um I still hang out with guys I graduated from the city.

SPEAKER_03 18:25

Yeah, because there's and because there's several and and there's also several uh guys from Jacksville from South a couple other programs in the county that are up at up at East Carolina right now as well, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:36

We have one, we have another lineman from uh Southwest. Um, you know, we have we have Josh Bent, we have Premier, um and Damari, Vent. And um, yeah, there's a crowd of us up there, so we're just we're just there trying to You brought Axeville Dreamville. We did, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

That's or Oslo County, man. How about that? Especially this. Uh this is the last question. Well, I've got one more question, but this is the last question. Then I've got some that I haven't shared with you. It's called Rapid Fire. If you've watched any of our shows, we do some rapid fire stuff. So, but the last question um before that, for young athletes in Oslo County watching you, what do you want them to understand about patience work and just simply believing in themselves?

SPEAKER_01 19:23

You you gotta always believe in yourself. Um you know, without belief in yourself and believing that you can do it, though. I mean, you're the only one that can make you go. Um, you know, you've gotta get out of bed and go work out, you've gotta put extra work in, you've got to stay laid out to practice. Um, it's always first thing people notice is how hard you work. And, you know, when you do that, everything else seems to fall in place. And that's always how I've done it. That's awesome. And that's how I grew up doing it. So there's one thing I can say is never let anyone say that you're gonna work hard. Always be the hardest worker.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

That's awesome. That's a great philosophy, man. So rapid fire. First thing that comes to your mind, here we go. Favorite Jacksonville High football memory.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Favorite Jacksonville High football memory. Um that's gotta be my sophomore year going that dude in the in the playoffs. Um, you know, practicing on Thanksgiving. Always a goal. That's always a cool thing. It's always a goal. Um, but but that year really was especially why I looked up to all those seniors um so much and all those upperclassmen, and they took me in. And uh we all had a good time that year. That's fun. That's fun to win. Yeah, it's fun to win.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Now you start you're a defensive stud, not playing offense. Favorite NFL player growing up?

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Growing up, it was either Marshawn Lynch or Luke Keekly.

SPEAKER_03 20:44

Um Luke, man, I love him. He's up for the Hall of Fame this year. First time. He should get in. He deserves to get in. Uh and more so and Marshawn Lynch punishing running back.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

I used to play, I played during that my whole career up until I got to high school. Did you? So I was I thought I was B-smooth. Um, you know, I always ran north and south with my head down, so that's who I did.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

You got Skittles on the line, would you?

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Oh, no Skittles just off my forehead.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

Favorite teacher in high school?

SPEAKER_01 21:15

Favorite teacher in high school? It had to be had to be Miss Downs. Wait, no, not Miss Downs. Um I should say my coaches, but I'm not. That's all right. Coach Blade Blake's probably my favorite. Okay. Offensive line coach. And what did he teach you? American history. American history. That was a great class. Um I I really did learn so much that year. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

That's great. Toughest adjustment college speed or college playbook? Playbook. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Just especially I've been on the offensive side. Especially being on playing defense for all of high school, you know, all of um my freshman year and then switching over the offensive playbook is something else. Um It definitely takes time to learn. It takes reps to learn. You can't just get it and know what to do. You've got to practice it. You've got to play it. You've got to play out situations. That's the hardest.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Listen, I want to go back and ask another question. I want to leave rapid fire. Because I would be remiss if I didn't, if I didn't ask this question. Because I because I think it just it just highlights what a just a well-round guy you are, man. You've constantly been on the dean's list. You earned you earned American Conference All Academic Honor. So man, that's awesome. Congratulations. I I wanted to put I I meant to get this in there. I'm sorry. So how important was it to you to prove you could excel academically alongside football?

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Well, Coach Bow didn't let us slack in high school. Yeah, he kept our EPAs and his wife Miss Annie worked there on uh the first building. So um she knew everything. Um but I kind of took that, you know, to high school or to college, and uh you know, you're there, the end of the day you're there to get an educate education. And you know, a lot of people get to go to college and play ball and get an education. So I try, you know, back to being the best you can be, doing what what doing whatever it is the best you can do.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

So well, congratulations on the on the American Conference uh honors, man. That's all yeah, that's awesome. All right. What's your go-to restaurant in Greenville?

SPEAKER_01 23:19

In Greenville? I love Texas Roadhouse in Greenville. All right. They uh we they give us a little gift card on the uh spend sometimes when we don't eat at the facility, and that's on there, and a crowd of us get to go and go and and we buy $20 going to spend there and eat. That's awesome. That's my favorite.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

So you grew up outdoors a lot. You you you said with your brothers and sister, did you play video games? Or do you play NCA football?

SPEAKER_01 23:47

No. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

So you don't play NCA football now? No. All right.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

And I probably should.

SPEAKER_03 23:52

Have you looked or anybody told you you gotta you gotta be a player on there, right? I don't know. I thought so I talked to Tamir. Yeah, Tamir plays. I asked him what his rating was. He told me it was a 75. I said, is that high or low? He said, man, I think that's low. I think it's a he said, I think it's about an 82. Yeah. So if Miles Parker had an NCAA player on the game, what would your rating be?

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Um, I guess you're talking about like blocking and yeah, all your yeah, yeah, all your bill sets. That's probably that's probably pretty high blocking and you know hitting and stuff like that. But if you go to like running routes and like candles and stuff like that, that might be the lower. Okay. I might say in the 70s or cool, man.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

Favorite special teams role? Because you played all four special teams. Which what what team did you like best?

SPEAKER_01 24:46

It had to be kickoff. You just go, you just run down there full speed and hit the first person you see. That was my job on kickoff was to go down there and rip somebody. So they moved me around like um different running lanes on kickoff, doing what their team did. And my job was to go down there and get somebody. So that had to be my favorite.

SPEAKER_03 25:09

That is awesome. One word to describe your college journey. Just one word. One word.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

I would say I would say consistent.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

Okay. One word to describe Jacksonville high school football.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

That's that's a lot to put in one. Um I would have to say Advanced.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Advanced. Okay. One word that times ECU football. Right. Right. Last rapid fire, and then I've got one got one more question. Dream moment you're still chasing.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Um Dream Moment still chasing is is you know, being that one on the roster. Yeah. I got to play a little bit. Um I got to play special teams and play a couple of tight end snaps a game this year, but you know, we're not in this. But you know, you know, I'm not I'm not satisfied with that. You know, as walking downfield, first drive of the game, you know, that's defense or offensive and that first play, you know, that first end doubty is something special.

SPEAKER_03 26:23

So what would you rather do? Pancake somebody, lock him, or catch a touchdown passing Doughty Field and Stan?

SPEAKER_01 26:29

Um definitely pancaking somebody.

SPEAKER_03 26:31

Or you are that's gonna happen regardless.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

That's gonna happen regardless. It would be pretty cool to catch a touchdown, but um I love I love taking some pain on somebody's. That's awesome. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

So Miles Parker's journey is exactly what homegrown is about. Growth, patience, and staying true to where it all began. From Jacksonville High School to East Carolina, from deep as line to tight end, and from high school standout to bowl winner, his journey shows that success is always about the fastest path. It's a steady progress and equipment. Just like these with the back bowl wins, Miles Parker's story is built consistency, belief, and doing things the right way. Miles, thank you for representing Jacksonville, BCU, and everything Homegrown Thanksgiving. And everyone watching, remember, no matter how far the game takes you, your roots always come with you. I'm Steve Gibson, and this has been Homegrown, Real Athlete, Real Stories for Big Joe. And thank you for joining us, man. See you next time.

SPEAKER_02 27:41

Support for Homegrown is provided by Humphrey Heating and Air Condition, proudly serving Eastern North Carolina since 1967.