Husky Roster Review: Cross Lived Walk-On Dream in Spring Ball

The redshirt freshman center was one of just 10 available linemen for the April and May drills.

Parker Cross takes on a blocking sled under offensive-line coach Brennan Carroll's close watch. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Parker Cross may or may not play in a real University of Washington football game before his career is done, but he's already lived the college football dream -- that of the undersized, underfunded and previously ignored walk-on offensive lineman who got to take a lot of snaps with the No. 1 offense.

Even if it was fleeting, Cross' name came up a lot this past spring with the Huskies barely able to field two complete lines after losing countless players to the NFL, transfer portal and voluntary retirements. Scrimmage plays were curtailed because there simply weren't enough healthy linemen to go around at times.

What happened to him might have been even bigger than what took place for Notre Dame's roster-buried, one-hit wonder Rudy Ruettiger.

The 6-foot-2, 277-pound Cross showed up for all 15 practices, one of just a handful of Husky big boys who made it through spring ball unscathed, and again that included scholarship players and those without.

Everything came to a head for Cross in the UW's seventh spring practice, in mid April, when he operated as the No. 1 center throughout that Tuesday afternoon workout.

"Those guys have been playing their tails off, man," said Brennan Carroll, the new UW offensive coordinator and line coach, of his 10 available guys, who included Cross and two walk-ons. "It's a bit of a challenge. Those guys have been thrust into roles. Sometimes it's been a little too early for them, but they've been great. Their attitudes have been fantastic."

Parker Cross (54) waits his turn in this spring practice drill. / Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

While Husky edge rusher Maurice Heims came nearly 5,000 miles from Hamburg, Germany, to play UW football, Cross traveled the shortest distance -- just under two miles to make the jump from Seattle Preparatory School to Husky Stadium.

He went from an All-Metro selection at center to an obscure redshirt player in 2023 for Kalen DeBoer's final UW team to spring back-up center for Jedd Fisch's coaching staff if only temporarily.

With reinforcements arriving by the week, Cross, compact with plenty of belly protruding out, easily could slide back into Husky oblivion. Or following a real taste of what the action feels like in practice, with all of those coaches watching for five weeks, it might motivate him to want more.

Parker Cross stands in the Dempsey Indoor facility with a trainer behind him. / Skylar Lin Visuals

PARKER CROSS FILE

What he's done: For the Huskies' national runner-up team, Cross was well hidden on the roster in 2023, playing light years behind starter Parker Brailsford, back-up Landen Hatchett and others. If he got into a DeBoer scrimmage, it had to be a rare occasion, because the walk-on quarterbacks almost never did.

Starter or not: Probably not. Cross likely has had his Husky career highlight, but who's to tell him he can't do more?

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