BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston has been arrested on a first-degree felony rape charge, the Washington County Attorney's Office announced in a release Wednesday.
The charge reportedly stems from an incident nearly a year ago, which an unidentified 20-year-old woman reported to officers at Utah's St. George Regional Regional Hospital. The woman claimed Kingston sexually assaulted her on Feb. 23, 2025 in St. George, Utah.
No further details of the incident were provided.
Kingston is currently being held without bail and is scheduled for an appearance at Utah's Fifth Judicial District Court on Friday.
BYU released a statement shortly after news of the arrest broke:
“BYU became aware today of the arrest of Parker Kingston. The university takes any allegation very seriously, and will cooperate with law enforcement. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”
Kingston was the Cougars' leading receiver last season with 67 catches, 928 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns, while also contributing 119 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. That effort earned him first-team All-Big 12 honors.
The redshirt junior announced last month he intends to return to BYU for a senior season, likely continuing to fill a big role for a team trying to improve on a 12-2 season.
Kingston also appeared to announce his engagement at a BYU men's basketball game on Saturday, only four days before his arrest.
Parker Kingston revealing he’s engaged at the BYU Basketball game. pic.twitter.com/QDzu6FwYX7
— Ben Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) February 8, 2026
In addition to legal consequences, there are potential BYU honor code repercussions for Kingston however the matter plays out in court. That was relevant last year when then-BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sued for sexual assault, which he denied by claiming the sex was consensual.
The lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice by joint agreement, but Retzlaff ended up transferring to Tulane rather than face a reported seven-game suspension for an honor code violation.