Cimarron’s Parker to play new spot in Utah defense

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 | 9:29 a.m.

CORONADO ISLAND, Calif. -- Former Cimarron-Memorial High star Arnold Parker made the preseason all-Mountain West team on his standout play as a strong safety for Las Vegas Bowl champion Utah.

But Utes coach Ron McBride said the 1998 Nevada Player of the Year will be playing a new position this fall.

"We moved Arnold to cornerback this spring," McBride said. "We think he has a very bright future there."

An NFL future?

"Absolutely," McBride said. "He's a big corner who can run and change direction. Guys like him are hard to find. They don't grow on trees."

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Parker has been timed at 4.39 in the 40 and has a 35 1/2-inch vertical leap. He had 55 tackles and one interception last year, including five tackles in Utah's 10-6 Las Vegas Bowl victory over USC on Christmas Day.

"I can't say enough good things about him," McBride said. "He's a great kid. He's a good worker. He has a lot of ability. He wants to be a great player. And he always comes to work with a smile on his face."

"There's nothing you can do about this," Lubick said. "There's nothing I can control. But I wish we could put some credibility into it. I bet the nine years I've been coming here that poll has probably gotten it right once. And that was probably BYU."

The Rams have 13 starters back from a 7-5 squad that thumped North Texas 45-20 in the New Orleans Bowl, including star quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt. But with a nonconference schedule that includes early road games at Virginia, Colorado, UCLA and Fresno State, Lubick is well aware the Rams could be beaten up by the time they get to Mountain West play.

"Offensively, we could be a better team than we have been the last few years," Lubick said. "That should make some of our fans happy who are getting tired of our 17-14 games. One of the big keys for us will be keeping people healthy. But I like our team."

"It's nice, but remember last year," Haro said. "Last year we were ranked 25th by Sports Illustrated and you saw what happened. We didn't do what we were expected to do. So you can't worry about that kind of hype. You've just got to keep your focus and keep working hard."