Star lineman Parker Boudreaux thrills Bishop Moore fanbase with college choice

For a number of people, Parker Boudreaux’s commitment to play his college football for Notre Dame is the first step toward a moment that is decades in the making.

People such as Matt Hedrick, for instance.

Hedrick has been the head coach for the Bishop Moore football team since 2002, but his time on the coaching staff for the Hornets dates back to 1993. With Notre Dame being the nation’s most high-profile Catholic university — in no small part because of its storied football program — and Bishop Moore being the Catholic high school for Central Florida, there is an obvious connection between the two institutions. Many Hornets have gone on and received their college education in South Bend, Indiana; the school’s fight song is the same as that of the Fighting Irish; many associated with the school — including Hedrick — are actually Notre Dame fans.

But, prior to Boudreaux’s high-profile recruitment, a Bishop Moore football player had never been offered an athletic scholarship to play football for the Irish, and no alumnus had ever successfully walked on at the storied school.

So, when the 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman announced his college decision on July 2 after being courted by as many as 75 schools — doing so by pulling a 16,000-pound school bus several yards to reveal the Notre Dame logo in a video put together by Bleacher Report — people who had long been hoping to see one of their own suit up for the Irish got one step closer to just that.

“It’ll certainly be a proud moment to have the opportunity to go to Notre Dame and watch one of Bishop Moore’s former football players suit up and play for the Irish,” Hedrick said. “That’ll be a pretty proud moment for me and pretty much the whole school.”

For Boudreaux, a Winter Garden resident who lives just blocks from West Orange High, the decision to go to Notre Dame ended a process that netted him nearly 50,000 followers on Twitter and that was, at times, overwhelming.

“It’s really about the academics and life after football,” Boudreaux said. 

Having the opportunity to choose Notre Dame is something that started with a decision Hedrick made following Boudreaux’s freshman year at Bishop Moore. Boudreaux had played quarterback in youth football for the West Orange Bobcats (then Windermere Bobcats) and, as a 6-foot-1, 190-pound freshman, had played tight end and defensive end for the Hornets’ freshman team. As Boudreaux prepared to move to varsity, Hedrick and the other coaches determined his quick feet, strength and size all were traits that could make him a highly-coveted offensive lineman. Still, the decision was not popular at first — with Boudreaux or his dad, Justin Boudreaux.

But as time went on — and offers started coming in — the family was won over.

“For me, it was his first game (as a lineman),” Justin Boudreaux said. “He ran some kid off the field and onto the sidelines. We got a penalty, but I was like, ‘Whoa, we might have something here.’”

The support of Boudreaux’s family, Justin and mom Sarah Boudreaux along with two younger sisters, was essential for him following the move to lineman. Boudreaux started training with elite performance coach Tom Shaw, and Justin Boudreaux jokes that he doesn’t even know how much money he spends a month on protein for his son.

For Sarah, seeing her not-so-little boy handle the attention that came with his recruitment was a pleasant surprise.

“He’s been really good — he’s been very grounded, and it doesn’t phase him,” she said.

Boudreaux still is a part of an undefeated Hornets team that has its sights set on returning to the Class 5A State Semifinals and extracting revenge on American Heritage, which ended Bishop Moore’s season in 2014 with a 20-17 victory. The Hornets (4-0) have been dominant so far and are 1-0 in district play ahead of a district road contest on Friday at South Lake.

Although it is still a ways away, he admits to daydreaming about the first time he suits up for Notre Dame and runs out of the tunnel at the program’s storied stadium — tapping the “Play Like A Champion Today” sign as he goes.

“It just looks like a great experience,” Parker Boudreaux said with a smile. “I can’t wait for it.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].