Inside The Huskies

Husky Freshman Parker Brailsford Never Gets Tire-d in UW Winter Conditioning

Creative offseason workouts keep Kalen DeBoer's players motivated.

Dan Raley

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Parker Brailsford is new to Seattle, looking to earn a regular assignment on the University of Washington offensive line. 

If that doesn't work out right away, the freshman Arizona probably could get a job at a truck stop, changing tires. 

Lately, Brailsford has been mixing the two worlds under the guidance of Kalen DeBoer's new coaching staff, specifically Ron McKeefery, the Huskies' overly creative if not a little zany strength and conditioning coach.

In the UW's indoor Dempsey Center, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound freshman from Mesa, Arizona, this week was shown pushing an oversized truck tire far larger than himself up the field, with teammates jumping all around and encouraging on Brailsford, a January enrollee.

You can almost hear his parents back home in the desert asking, "Parker, how's college going?"

To which Brailsford might respond, "If I could only find the lug nuts, I'd be making progress."

Ah, all of these guys qualify as lug nuts now. After Husky football turned decidedly dreary last fall as the losses piled up on the way to a disappointing 4-8 season, it appears to be fun again.

As for Brailsford, he was one of DeBoer's four early signees in December after he was initially pursued by Jimmy Lake's since dismantled coaching staff. Brailsford drew high marks from the old guys and and the new guys in charge of Husky football.

"He's really smart, he's athletic and, when you watch his film he finishes, guys are on their back," DeBoer summed up on sign day. "Over and over he's really got that nastiness you want."

Brailsford also is gaining some automotive skills that should last him for life, or at least the duration of his football career.

Parker Brailsford pushes a tire through Dempsey Center.
Parker Brailsford receives teammate encouragement with the tire.  / UW Athletics

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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