Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons aims to 'be the best player in the world' in 2024

There was no hesitation or second guessing when the words left Micah Parsons' mouth.

In Lubbock for a stop on his Lions Den youth football camp tour Tuesday at Lubbock Christian High School, the Dallas Cowboys star defender was greeted by hundreds of kids who sought a few precious moments with one of their sports heroes.

After running the line to high-five as many of the youngsters as he could, one little boy latched on to Parson's massive quad with a simple message: "I love you, Micah Parsons."

"That feeling is great," Parsons said. "... That's the type of feeling I get from my own kids. I really embrace it, man. I love that they love me. I love the kids. If you have children, there's no better feeling than when a child runs up to you and embraces you like that."

Parsons has been on a West Texas swing of his camps, stopping in El Paso on Monday before his visit to the Hub City. Given three minutes to ask the hulking hybrid edge rusher some questions, Parsons was asked his goals for the 2024 season.

"To be the best player in the world," he said.

There was a pause among the assembled media, and a chuckle from the media coordinator from FlexWork, one of the partners for the camp. Parsons didn't care to elaborate, letting the statement stand on its own.

Whether or not Parsons can live up to that lofty goal remains to be seen, but he's more than made a name for himself in his short NFL career.

Kids and their parents began lining up for the camp — scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. — well before noon. Many of the participants, aged 6 to 16, made sure to wear their Parsons jerseys. Those who didn't have one opted to purchase a toy chain with an animated decal of Parsons' face dangling below.

Parsons finally emerged to signal the start of the proceedings around 2 p.m. The delay didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the kids getting to spend some time on the same field as an All-Pro.

There are many lessons Parsons sought to teach the kids in their time at the camp. The biggest lesson, Parsons said, is much easier than footwork and technical ability.

"It's just learning how to enjoy the game," Parsons said. "That's the first thing you've gotta learn with football is you've got to actually love it and that allows you to love the process and love everything that comes with it. I started playing football when I was 4 years old. I got drafted when I was 21, I think, so it took me 17 years of love, process, grind to achieve what I did. It's really the process game."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 'Be the best player in the world': Micah Parsons declares 2024 ambitions