Alabama football’s offensive line received good news for the 2025 season. Center Parker Brailsford, who had been projected as an early-round NFL Draft pick, will return to the Crimson Tide.
Brailsford announced the news Thursday, speaking to reporters in Tuscaloosa as UA began preparations for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan.
“Obviously, I’m focused on what’s to come with Michigan and everything,” Brailsford said. “And I’m excited for that game, and also I’ll be coming back.”
Brailsford joined the Crimson Tide through the transfer portal this offseason. He played for head coach Kalen DeBoer at Washington to begin his college career.
The redshirt sophomore said he hadn’t paid attention to draft projections when he was making his decision.
“Just talked to my family, talked to my people,” Brailsford said. “(They) just gave me good advice on what they think about things going on. Talked to some people around the building and see what they had to say, and I think the overall consensus was I should come back.”
Brailsford, who missed most of spring practice due to unspecified personal reasons, said he was excited for a full offseason to focus on improving for Alabama, without going through a coach change and transfer situation again. He said one of his goals for the 2025 season is to gain 10-15 pounds, saying he was currently around 285.
He said he was optimistic about how good the Crimson Tide offensive line could be next season.
“I think we’re gonna be a real good group,” Brailsford said. “I think we’ve had time to really grow, and even a lot of the younger guys, I’ve seen them getting better every single day. I think they’re gonna push the older guys and it’s gonna be a battle every single day.”
Alabama and Michigan will face off Dec. 31 in Tampa. For the Crimson Tide, being there is a disappointment, after it was left out of the College Football Playoff due to bad losses against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
Still, a chance to play the Wolverines, who beat both Alabama and Washington on the way to last season’s national title, was a motivating factor.
“Missing the playoffs sucks,” Brailsford said. “But going forward, we’re focused on Michigan. A lot of guys over here were here last year, and we’ve also got the Washington guys too, and we both owe them payback for that.”
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