Husky Roster Review: Jayvon Parker Still Waiting for Brother to Catch Up to Him

The defensive tackle from Detroit hasn't played with his twin on game day yet.

Jayvon Parker, a Michigan native, is shown during the CFP title game against Michigan. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In the cruelest of college football fates, Jayvon Parker has had to go it alone at the University of Washington for long periods without his twin brother and fellow defensive tackle, Armon, standing beside him.

They have yet to appear together in a Husky football game. They have been on the practice field for less than half the time allotted since they signed as a package deal with Kalen DeBoer's coaching staff in early 2022.

Armon simply hasn't been able to stay healthy. He suffered a knee ACL tear playing pickup basketball at home before reporting to Montlake and missed his entire freshman season. He sat out most of the recent spring ball practice with yet another knee issue.

Meantime, Jayvon Parker has had to navigate his way through Husky football largely on his own, maybe feeling a little cheated or guilty that it's been just him, and not them, experiencing all of the good times of championship games, bowl games and playing time. No. 94 has made great strides, 95 not so much.

"I think it was hard because we've played our whole life together," Jayvon said.

Jayvon Parker (94) and Sebastian Valdez (50) were used as the No. 1 defensive tackles for much of spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

However, the good news is this situation hasn't affected Jayvon's play in a negative manner as the 6-foot-3, 297-pound interior lineman from Detroit drew game time immediately as a freshman, has appeared in 23 of 28 UW outings since joining the program and is considered a starting candidate heading into fall camp.

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

For 15 spring practices, Jayvon Parker and Sebastian Valdez more often than not were the No. 1 defensive tackles. Jayvon proved to be more of an athletic and deceptive guy in fighting his way through opposing blockers and Valdez, the Montana State transfer, showed himself to be a definite strongman. They seem to complement each other with their different playing styles.

In the 2022 season opener against Kent State, Jayvon made his college debut as a freshman and there was no heistancy to use him that season. By game six, he was forced to play a significant minutes of a road outing at Arizona State because of injuries to Husky veteran defensive tackles Tuli Letuligasenoa and Faatui Tuitele. For the Apple Cup at Washington State that year, he broke through and dropped quarterback Cam Ward, now at Miami, for his first career sack.

A year ago, Parker rotated in regularly, appearing in 13 of the 15 games on the way to the CFP national championship game while his brother practiced with the Huskies for the first time but had a lot of catching up to do.

Once fall camp opens, Jayvon will continue his bid for a No. 1 assignment on the defensive line while brother Armon starts all over again in trying to work his way up the depth chart, play on Saturdays for the first time and find himself in a game side by side with his brother.

"Once we get that done, we're going to be yin and yang," Jayvon Parker said. "We're gong to be playing off each other. It's going to be fun out there."

The Parker brothers, Armon (95) and Jayvon (94) are shown during a 2023 practice / Skylar Lin Visuals

JAYVON PARKER FILE

What he's done: Jayvon has played regularly in his two UW seasons and come up with 9 tackles. Everything would just be so much more fun with Armon next to him. One of the endearing memories of the Parker brothers as Huskies was the two of them hanging out with each other, one in uniform and the other in street clothes, in the middle of the field at the end of the 2022 Alamo Bowl after the UW beat Texas 27-20 in San Antonio.

Starter or not: Jayvon has as good a chance as anyone to emerge as a starting defensive tackle for the coming season. He's been on somewhat of a fast track. Vita Vea, Greg Gaines and even the legendary Steve Emtman were forced to redshirt as UW defensive tackles, but not Parker. He's never been intimidated by his surroundings. He's never been physically overwhelmed by FBS football. The starting job is his to lose.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington