Kalen DeBoer praises Parker Brailsford: ‘We’ve got the best center in the country’
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Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are riding high after a statement 24-21 win over Georgia last Saturday, and while quarterback Ty Simpson is receiving much of the credit for that, DeBoer made sure to shine a spotlight on the other guy who touches the ball every play.
Redshirt-junior center Parker Brailsford followed his head coach from Washington prior to the 2024 season and has started in every game since as one of the most reliable players on the entire team.
When a head coach and a star player have been together for that long, the bond becomes tight, and DeBoer believes that the best center in the nation resides in Tuscaloosa as a result. Per On3’s Charlier Potter:
“He’s a gem in every way,” DeBoer said. “I mean, he’s unreal…We’ve got the best center in the entire country.”
DeBoer believes that the Rimington Trophy may be in Brailsford’s future, and it would be a fitting award for a player who has helped produce some explosive offensive attacks.
After all, prior to working with Jalen Milroe in 2024 and Simpson this season, Brailsford was Michael Penix Jr.’s center during the Huskies’ 2024 National Championship run.
Now a 3-year starter and appearing on virtually every watch list there is, Brailsford appears to also have an NFL future well within reach.
But first, he and the Crimson Tide are focused on finishing out this ‘revenge tour’ strong, and an important chapter of that journey comes this weekend when Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt visit Tuscaloosa.
Parker is currently the sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
