“I’m very happy he’s part of my son’s life,” said Phil Brailsford, father of new Husky offensive lineman Parker Brailsford of Washington’s first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. “I have a lot of faith in this coaching staff, and I believe that they’re going to succeed on the field and in recruiting.”
So what about Washington’s new head coach stood out to Phil Brailsford when he paid his family an in-home visit? “He’s very personable and likable,” he said. “He’s a really good guy, and when you look at what he’s done, he’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone. The relationships he’s built with his staff members, and how much they trust him really stood out to me. Especially with someone like [strength coach] Ron McKeefery, who had multiple offers from NFL and MLB teams, along with Power 5 schools, and turned them down to stick with DeBoer when he was at Fresno, that tells me a lot about him as a person.”
Brailsford went on to mention that he was extremely impressed with the work that McKeefery has been done, and said that he’s noticed his son has put on a good amount of weight after just a month in the program. “It’s a serious program that they’re running up there, it’s no joke,” he said.
When it comes to the recruiting trail, Brailsford expressed that he had no doubt this new staff would be able to succeed at Washington. “Winning solves a lot of issues,” he said. “But this staff is full of great, likable people, and it all starts with the head coach.”
“I could tell right away that he really wanted to build a relationship with Parker,” Brailsford said of DeBoer. “[DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb] told us how big they are on developing their players, and him they didn’t want to limit him to center, and wanted to make sure they developed him. They also emphasized that Washington is going to be a family environment.”
Kalen DeBoer and his staff have been working hard on the recruiting trail since he was hired, and if he can continue to get rave reviews like this from parents, Husky fans can have a lot of faith in their new headman.
