Former Penn State linebacker and current Dallas Cowboys rookie Micah Parsons has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, as announced Wednesday morning.

The award comes after Parsons spooked the Minnesota Vikings’ offense in the Cowboys’ 20-16 Halloween win on Sunday Night Football. Over the course of the night, No. 11 racked up a professional career-high 11 tackles, including four for a loss. In fact, he’s the first rookie in NFL history to post 10 solo tackles and four TFLs in the same game.

This is Parsons’ first NFL award since getting drafted in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys in April’s 2021 NFL Draft. Parsons is the second Penn Stater to win a weekly accolade this year, with the first being the Baltimore Ravens’ Odafe Oweh in week two.

Parsons’ dominant performance in week eight was the latest chapter in what has already been a remarkable rookie season. Already, Parsons has recorded 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 13 quarterback hits, all while playing over 80% of defensive snaps for America’s Team.

In what should come as no surprise to Penn State fans, Parsons has been a chameleon on the Dallas defense. The former high school defensive end and running back has been characteristically flexible in the pros, showing little sign of adversity when asked to briefly convert to defensive end in the wake of injuries to the Cowboys’ defensive line.

The former consensus All-American is quickly making a name for himself as the defensive leader of the world’s most valuable sporting franchise. His work ethic has turned the heads of media members and tenured coaches.

As a result, many expect this not to be the final honor of Parsons’ rookie campaign. He is the clear odds-on favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, according to some betting outlets.

Parsons will have another chance to further widen the gap between himself and the rest of his rookie class this weekend when Dallas faces the struggling Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. on Sunday.