Chris Parson Sets the Austin Peay Record for Rushing Touchdowns by a Quarterback
Chris Parson, the Austin Peay State University quarterback represented by Athlete Empowerment Agency (AEA), holds the program record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He scored his 20th on Oct. 10, 2026, against Tarleton State, passing JaVaughn Craig (2016-19). He reached 22 on Oct. 17 at West Georgia.
Who holds the Austin Peay record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback?
Chris Parson holds the Austin Peay State University record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, with 22 through Oct. 17, 2026. Parson took sole possession of the record on Oct. 10, 2026, when his 20th rushing touchdown as a Governor moved him past JaVaughn Craig, who played quarterback for Austin Peay from 2016 to 2019.¹
Parson scored 14 rushing touchdowns in 2025² and 8 through the first eight games of 2026.³ Both seasons came after his transfer to Austin Peay from Mississippi State.
How did Chris Parson break the record against Tarleton State?
Chris Parson broke the record with two rushing touchdowns against Tarleton State on Oct. 10, 2026, at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee. He carried the ball a career-high 26 times for 102 yards. That was the most carries by an Austin Peay player since Jevon Jackson's 38 against Utah Tech on Nov. 11, 2023.¹
The Tarleton State game was the seventh of Parson's career with more than one rushing touchdown. Tarleton State won 40-32, which ended Austin Peay's 10-game home winning streak.¹
After the game, Austin Peay head coach Jeff Faris said of Parson, "This is the most selfless quarterback I've ever been around."¹
How many rushing touchdowns does Chris Parson have now?
Chris Parson has 22 rushing touchdowns at Austin Peay after scoring twice at West Georgia on Oct. 17, 2026. He scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter and on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the third quarter, which gave Austin Peay a 14-10 lead.⁴ Austin Peay won 24-10 at University Stadium in Carrollton, Georgia, and improved to 6-2.⁴
Parson finished the West Georgia game with 12 carries for 68 yards and completed 12 of 21 passes for 139 yards.⁵ The two scores were his seventh and eighth rushing touchdowns of the 2026 season.⁴
What did Chris Parson do in his first season at Austin Peay?
Chris Parson accounted for 37 touchdowns and 3,746 yards of total offense in 2025, his first season at Austin Peay.⁶ He completed 206 of 326 passes for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns² with 5 interceptions.⁸ He ran 168 times for 743 yards and 14 touchdowns.²
Parson set Austin Peay single-season records for total offense per game, pass efficiency, quarterback rushing yards and quarterback rushing touchdowns. He also tied the program's single-season record of 37 touchdowns responsible for.⁶
Against No. 5 Tarleton State on Nov. 22, 2025, Parson set the Austin Peay single-game record with 487 yards of total offense. His 194 rushing yards in that game set the program's single-game rushing record for a quarterback.⁶ He also threw a season-high four touchdown passes.²
Parson led the United Athletic Conference (UAC) in total offense per game (312.2), passing yards per game (250.3), points responsible for (222) and yards per pass attempt (9.21).²
Parson was one of 30 finalists for the 2025 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award, which honors the national offensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). He was the fourth Austin Peay player named a finalist.⁶ He finished 10th in the final voting with 23 points.⁷ Austin Peay finished 7-5 and went undefeated at home.⁸
How is Chris Parson's 2026 season going?
Through eight games of the 2026 season, Chris Parson has completed 109 of 171 passes for 1,766 yards, 12 touchdowns and 1 interception, with a 172.5 passing efficiency rating. He has rushed 96 times for 339 yards and 8 touchdowns. Austin Peay is 6-2 overall and 2-1 in UAC play.³
Parson announced in December 2025 that he would return to Austin Peay for the 2026 season. He said, "We've got unfinished business."⁸
Before the 2026 season, Parson was named UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, FCS Football Central Second Team All-America and Stats Perform FCS Third Team All-America.² He was also named to the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List.⁹
What did Chris Parson do at Mississippi State?
Chris Parson played two seasons at Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) before transferring to Austin Peay after the 2024 season.¹⁰ As a true freshman, he made his college debut against Kentucky on Nov. 4, 2023, and completed 6 of 14 passes for 67 yards.¹⁰
Parson made his first career start the next week, on Nov. 11, 2023, at Texas A&M's Kyle Field. He became the fifth true freshman quarterback in the SEC to start a regular-season game since 2021.¹⁰
Parson completed 11 of 26 passes for 103 yards in two games in 2023¹² and was named to the SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team.¹¹ In 2024, he played in four games as a redshirt freshman and ran 8 times for 31 yards.¹³ He was named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and 2024.¹⁰
Where did Chris Parson play high school football?
Chris Parson played high school football at Duncanville High School and Red Oak High School in Texas, then at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee. As a freshman at Duncanville, he started the Texas Class 6A Division I state championship game. He played his sophomore season at Red Oak.²
As a Ravenwood junior, Parson passed for 2,309 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for 1,007 yards and 17 touchdowns. He led Ravenwood to a 10-3 record and the TSSAA Class 6A state quarterfinals and was named 2021 TSWA Class 6A All-State.²
An injury shortened Parson's senior season to six games. He passed for 1,041 yards and 5 touchdowns, ran for 519 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was named Region 7-6A MVP.²
ESPN and On3 rated Parson a four-star recruit, and 247Sports and Rivals rated him a three-star recruit. 247Sports ranked him the No. 30 quarterback in the nation, and he attended the 2022 Elite 11 camp.² Parson committed to Mississippi State on Aug. 12, 2022, after decommitting from Florida State on July 12, 2022.¹⁴
Chris Parson career statistics
Chris Parson has passed for 4,872 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushed for 1,104 yards and 22 touchdowns in four college seasons, through Oct. 17, 2026. All 35 passing touchdowns and all 22 rushing touchdowns came at Austin Peay. Career totals are the sum of the season lines below.²,³,⁸,¹²,¹³
| Season | School | Games | Cmp-Att | Pass yards | Pass TD | INT | Rushes | Rush yards | Rush TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (8 games) | Austin Peay | 8 | 109-171 | 1,766 | 12 | 1 | 96 | 339 | 8 |
| 2025 | Austin Peay | 12 | 206-326 | 3,003 | 23 | 5 | 168 | 743 | 14 |
| 2024 | Mississippi State | 4 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 31 | 0 |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 2 | 11-26 | 103 | 0 | 3 | 9 | -9 | 0 |
| Career | 26 | 326-525 | 4,872 | 35 | 9 | 281 | 1,104 | 22 |
Chris Parson honors and awards
Chris Parson's honors span high school, the SEC and the FCS.
2026: UAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, FCS Football Central Preseason Second Team All-America, Stats Perform Preseason FCS Third Team All-America, Preseason All-UAC²
2026: Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List⁹
2025: Stats Perform Walter Payton Award finalist, 10th in the final voting⁷
2025: Stats Perform FCS Third Team All-America, FCS Football Central Third Team All-America, First Team All-UAC, UAC Offensive Player of the Week five times²
2023: SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team¹¹
2023 and 2024: SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll¹⁰
High school: 2021 TSWA Class 6A All-State, Region 7-6A MVP, 2022 Elite 11 camp²
Austin Peay program records held by Chris Parson:
Career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback: 22¹
Single-game total offense: 487 yards, Nov. 22, 2025, at Tarleton State⁶
Single-game rushing yards by a quarterback: 194, Nov. 22, 2025, at Tarleton State⁶
Single-season total offense per game, pass efficiency, quarterback rushing yards and quarterback rushing touchdowns, all set in 2025⁶
Single-season touchdowns responsible for: 37 in 2025, tied⁶
Chris Parson off the field
Chris Parson graduated from Austin Peay in May 2026 with a bachelor's degree in health and human performance, with a sport and wellness specialist concentration. He is pursuing a master's degree in leadership.² He was named to the Austin Peay Athletics Director's Honor Roll for spring 2026 and served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. Parson is from Brentwood, Tennessee.² His full profile is on the Austin Peay football roster.
Who represents Chris Parson?
Chris Parson is represented by Athlete Empowerment Agency (AEA), a Tampa Bay, Florida, firm that provides athlete representation, NIL services and off-field business management. AEA founder Steven Fantetti, Esq., is a Florida Bar member and an NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Certified Contract Advisor.
AEA's current clients are listed on the AEA athletes page. AEA client Damon Payne Jr. signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in April 2026. Details on AEA's NIL services and athlete representation are on the AEA site.
Athletes and families with questions about representation can start the conversation with AEA.
