Coming out of Aledo High School in Texas, Parker Shaunfield had just one Division I football offer to his name.
The opportunity came from a school about 500 miles east in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. But rather than jump on it, Shaunfield planned to stay a little closer to home and walk on at Tulsa. That is until one of his Aledo teammates, Daythan Davis, convinced him to take Southern Miss up on their offer.
“He [Davis] is the one that really got me to come here,” said Shaunfield.
Both players signed with Southern Miss in 2014. Davis, a tight end, has since transferred back to his home state and now suits up for TCU. Shaunfield, however, is still in Hattiesburg. This will be the placekicker’s fifth year on campus.
“Everybody around here is just so friendly and nice,” said Shaunfield. “[I] made some friends that will last a lifetime.”
Yes, the Southern Miss experience has been a success for Shaunfield. But it hasn’t come without a few bumps in the road. For example, in Shaunfield’s first year on campus, the Golden Eagles went 3-9, missing out on a bowl appearance for a third straight year.
For reference, Shaunfield’s Aledo Bearcats went a perfect 16-0 a year earlier while outscoring opponents a combined 1023-140.
“That [2014] was an eye-opener for me,” said Shaunfield. “That not everything is about winning.”
If there ever was a silver lining to that 2014 season, it was that Shaunfield was able to sit back and learn from future San Francisco 49er, Corey Acosta, who was a redshirt senior at the time.
“He [Acosta] was a great role model for me. He just really made me wanna be a better kicker.”
Then the 2015 season came, and with Acosta’s graduation, Shaunfield, a redshirt freshman, was set to have a bigger role on special teams. Only, it didn’t turn out like he had hoped. Shaunfield finished that year 2-for-5 on field goals with a long of 33 yards.
“My first year I didn’t do too hot. [I] just had to move on.”
And that he did. Shaunfield turned a major corner as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, turning in one of the best kicking seasons in school history by making 12 of his 14 attempts.
“I got confidence and just kept it rolling,” Shaunfield said. “I’ve kept it rolling since then.”
Last year, Shaunfield went a step further, connecting on 17 of 20 field goals and extending his school-record streak of extra point makes to 87. As a result, he was named first-team All-Conference USA. When asked what misses throughout his career stick with him the most, he answered “All three of those field goals from last year.”
“They were all pretty much short range, gimmes, and I missed every single one of them wide right by about the same distance. I try to move on from those, too.”
Heading into the 2018 season, Shaunfield’s name is on pretty much every kicking award watch list there is. But rather than focus on preseason accolades, individual goals or even his potential to follow in Acosta’s NFL footsteps, Shaunfield says he’s approaching his final go-round with the same mindset and a fresh outlook.
“You just start from scratch,” added Shaunfield.
