Alabama Center Parker Brailsford Reveals Goal for 2025 Season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The 2023 Washington Huskies made it all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship game despite not having anywhere near those expectations at the start of the season.

The Huskies offense was one of the most potent units in the country as it had six players taken in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. Washington's front five was a big reason for the team's tremendous success that season as it won the Joe Moore Award, which is given annually to college football's best offensive line.

After opting for a redshirt in 2022, Parker Brailsford earned a starting spot on the Huskies offensive line ahead of the 2023 season as the center. He played an integral role in Washington's stellar season as he was named to the All-Pac 12 Second Team at the end of the year.

When former Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer took the vacant job at Alabama in January 2024, many players followed him to Tuscaloosa, including Brailsford. The Crimson Tide's offensive line had a rough 2023 season, but the addition of Brailsford alongside OL head coach Chris Kapilovic made a big difference. Alabama allowed 49 sacks in 2023 but just 24 this past season.

Now that Brailsford has a year at Alabama under his belt, he revealed his hopes for the upcoming season.

"It's kind of a personal goal but kind of not, I want to win the Joe Moore with my O-Line," Brailsford said on Thursday.

There's already an obstacle to this goal, though. Alabama lost co-captain and left guard Tyler Booker to the 2025 NFL Draft, as he has a chance to be selected in the first round. The Crimson Tide has multiple players competing to fill Booker's practically unfillable shoes as A-Day looms.

"It don't really matter who they put [at left guard], it always feels the same," Brailsford said. "Geno [VanDeMark] is a smart guy, Kam [Dewberry] is a smart guy. They're both doing really good in spring ball and I'm excited to just see that battle and see who wins that."

Building chemistry is essential to the stoutness of an offensive line. This isn't as easy when a team hasn't established its starting five just yet, but this factor hasn't changed Brailsford's Joe Moore Award mindset.

"It takes time," Brailsford said. "You've got to see who the guys are that are willing to do it, willing to strain and things like that. It's not going to be exact during spring ball. Even as the whole O-line––whether it be the walk-ons, twos, threes, ones––we're all pretty tight.

"It takes a long time. Everybody is different. Some groups are a little faster than others...but we're all a close group and I feel comfortable with all of those guys. The chemistry is there."

As previously stated, Booker was a co-captain and perhaps the ultimate leader for the Crimson Tide last season. Finding a new leader to push this year's offensive line will be needed to win the Joe Moore Award. The transfer portal is a massive component of college sports today and Brailsford believes his experience in it combined with a first season at Alabama could help his case as a leader.

"I think it's been really good getting that year under my belt because I feel comfortable talking to the guys and I have a relationship with the guys...Change is obviously hard. Like for me, it was a little bit hard and I had some things going on back then. But since I've been here, I give myself the room and go and talk to and hang out with the guys. That's just helped me build relationships."

It's clear that Brailsford wants to be a leader of the Crimson Tide offensive line. But how far can his leadership take Alabama's front five this upcoming season?

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