TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama center Parker Brailsford won't be available for the Crimson Tide's A-Day game Saturday. The Washington transfer has missed the past two weeks of practice and scrimmages due to “non-football-related things."
Thursday, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer gave another update on Brailsford's status and said he's working his way back into the fold for Alabama. Given the time he's missed, however, Brailsford is not expected to suit up for the spring game.
"Right now I wouldn't plan on him being in just with the limited practice that he's had throughout the spring and he didn't practice today," DeBoer said. "I wouldn't be putting him out there in that spot. He'll be with us sooner than later fading to regular workouts and he's doing all the things to make sure he's ready to go."
In his time away from the team, Brailsford received public support from teammate Tyler Booker. The former Washington man has remained around the team in the weight room and continues to work with Alabama's strength training staff.
"He's gonna be here with us," DeBoer said following Alabama's second scrimmage. "It's not a transfer thing. It's nothing like that. Just want to make sure I'm clear. It's nothing on his end where he's done anything wrong or anything like that.”
Brailsford is coming off a redshirt freshman season at Washington where he was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and earned Freshman All-America honors from Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound lineman started 15 games for the Huskies’ Joe Moore Award-winning unit, recording an 80.7 run-blocking grade and a 79.1 pass-blocking mark from Pro Football Focus.
Redshirt junior James Brockermeyer is also in contention for the first-team center role. Brockermeyer, a former four-star recruit in the 2021 class, logged just 28 offensive snaps over 14 appearances last year. While the 6-foot-3 lineman is listed at 285 pounds on Alabama’s roster, he said last week that he has bulked up to 295 pounds.
Alabama's spring game kicks off at 3 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
