For all his football talents, Michael Parker's recruitment ultimately came down to a vital off-the-field trait: Patience.



The 6-foot-6 Westminster Christian tight end ended his senior season with multiple offers in hand, including Auburn. But the offer he longed for - Alabama - had not yet come to fruition. Parker felt that he'd eventually hear from the Tide and he held off on committing, a move that paid off as Alabama finally offered Nov. 18.



"I was willing to wait as long as I needed to," said Parker, who was rated four stars by Rivals and three stars by 247Sports.



The "unknown" aspect of recruiting is what Parker found to be the most challenging part of the process.



"Obviously, for me, what I wanted was Alabama the whole time," said Parker, whose brothers, Jacob and John, walked on at Alabama in recent years. "Not knowing if that was going to happen, that was probably what was the most stressful about it.



"It was a huge relief. I had kind of known for a while that there was a possibility, but obviously it's not for sure until it happens."



Despite the offer from his dream school, Parker waited nearly three weeks to commit.



"I just wanted to step away and make sure that was going to be the best fit for me," he said. "I pretty much knew it was, but with something as big as that, you just want to be sure; it's a decision that affects the rest of your life."



Parker opted not to sign during the early period in December because he felt there was a chance that Alabama would blue shirt him. He ultimately put pen to paper on the traditional signing day in February. That moment capped a journey in which Parker went from having no offers to being Alabama-bound in a span of a year.



"It's a really long and hard process," he said. "It helped me kind of rely on God first and then rely on people that he's put over me, like coaches, family and friends. I just looked to their advice. That's probably the biggest takeaway that I got from it."

Michael Parker signs with Alabama



Parker didn't start playing football until eighth grade. As the years went on, his size and athleticism began catching the eyes of some coaches. But it was another sport - basketball - that played a key role in getting his recruitment rolling.



"There were several offers where (coaches said), 'Honestly, if it wasn't for your basketball highlights at the beginning of your football highlights, I don't know if we would have offered you,'" Parker said. "That helped a lot."



Parker caught 43 passes for 812 yards and nine touchdowns last season and was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. He was primarily split out as a receiver at Westminster. Parker said he needs to work on adding weight and improving his blocking skills when he gets to Tuscaloosa.



"It's extremely exciting," Parker said. "Obviously, for me, this has been my dream my entire life to play at Alabama. Seeing that come true is just crazy. I'm just looking forward to dressing out that first home game; it will be surreal."

Daniel Boyette covers Huntsville Region high school sports for AL.com.