As UW Spring Football Winds Down, Brailsford Is Player on the Rise

Parker Brailsford didn't play in a game last season. Of the nine freshmen brought in by Kalen DeBoer's University of Washington coaching staff — which wants to use its newcomers on Saturdays as soon as possible — Brailsford was one of two newcomers who simply stood and watched when everything counted.

The other absentee, defensive tackle Armon Parker, tore up a knee at home in Detroit during a pick-up basketball and he missed the entire season, never pulling on a football uniform.

Nothing was wrong with Brailsford. The compact offensive lineman from Scottsdale, Arizona, was healthy all last fall and did everything asked of him. Except he wasn't asked to go into a game.

That included the 54-7 blowout of Colorado, a truly lopsided home outing in which a lot of his Husky teammates made their college football debuts. Brailsford didn't stir from the sideline.

He was in steady development rather than in overmatched purgatory. He wasn't a stiff by any means, just someone who needed to physically catch up to the others, which is more obvious now.

On the eve of Saturday's 15th spring practice and closing 1 p.m. scrimmage at Husky Stadium, DeBoer was asked if anyone had surprised him with their football progress over the past month and he had a ready name.

Parker Brailsford, his backup center.

"One guy who's really come along in the last week or so, and I haven't talked much about him, is Parker Brailsford," DeBoer said. "[He's] just doing a nice job. He needs to put on some weight. He's a great football player."

Brailsford lists at 6-foot-2 and 272 pounds, which is a hefty weight increase of nearly 20 pounds over 12 months since he was the only freshman who participated in 2022 spring football.

Before that, he was the first player to send a UW letter of intent to DeBoer's then skeleton staff, doing so some three weeks following the coach's hiring in December 2021. Ever so prompt, Brailsford electronically transferred his signed paperwork to the UW at 6:30 a.m., before hardly anyone else was stirring.

He also was twice named the Huskies' Scout Team Player of the Week and given the Scout Team MVP for his season efforts. He is considered one of the team's strongest players.

Brailsford plays behind Matteo Mele, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound sixth-year senior, and just ahead of touted freshman Landen Hatchett, who checked in at a more robust 6-foot-2 and 309 pounds, in an impressive pecking order.

He no doubt will receive some sort of game time during the coming season, either by spelling Mele or pulling special-teams blocking assignments. He's earned it with his patience and progress, though the Huskies want him even bigger yet.

"Now it's just a matter of putting weight on that frame," DeBoer said. "He's held his own, for sure."

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