Inside The Huskies

Javon Parker Suffers Season-Ending Achilles Injury

The defensive tackle from Detroit joins his twin bother on the sideline.

Dan Raley

Jayvon Parker is shown during warm-ups for the CFP title game.
Jayvon Parker is shown during warm-ups for the CFP title game. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Continuing the string of incredibly bad luck for the University of Washington's football-playing twins, defensive tackle Jayvon Parker suffered an Achilles tendon tear at Rutgers -- and thus joins his brother on the sideline with a season-ending injury.

On Friday night, this 6-foot-3, 297-pound Parker went down early in the fourth quarter while tackling Scarlet Knights running back Samuel Brown V on a 3-yard run during the UW's 21-18 loss.

The Detroit native had to be helped from the field by teammates and trainers and, once the game ended, he had to be carried up a steep incline to the locker room after he was unable to negotiate the hallway on crutches.

Parker had recovered from an unspecified spring football injury to become a force up front and help the Huskies limit opponents to 121.8 yards rushing per game.

"Obviously, I feel for Jayvon," UW coach Jedd Fisch said. "He worked extremely hard to get back."

Fisch said during spring ball that he and his staff had identified Parker as a potential starter, something he still hasn't enjoyed because of his injuries. After sitting out the season opener against Weber State, Parker returned to appear in four games and finished with 10 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.

Three years into the UW program, Jayvon and Armon Parker still haven't played in a Husky game together because of their rash of injuries.

The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Armon Parker suffered a knee injury in 2022 while playing pick-up basketball before even arriving at the UW, a mishap that kept him out of all of his freshman season. He was hurt again, possibly incurring another knee injury, early in this past spring practice and ruled out for the season.

"I feel for them," Fisch said. "They work extremely hard. They come with great attitudes every day. Those are freak injuries that occurred."

In recent seasons, linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala and former edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui likewise have suffered Achilles injuries.

Fisch hopes to have both Parkers back for spring football practice in April.

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

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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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