Family fuels Wayshawn Parker as Utah running back raises his game
Oct 6, 2026, 12:16 PM
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Utah Utes at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Sep 12, 2026. (Photo: Joel A. Davidson / UteZone, On3.com)
(Photo: Joel A. Davidson / UteZone, On3.com)
SALT LAKE CITY — After a fantastic start to the season, Wayshawn Parker spent Utah’s bye week with the people who remind him why he plays.
There were parents to visit, nieces and nephews to spend time with and football to watch alongside his dad. The break gave Utah’s running back a chance to step away from the weekly demands of the season, but it also strengthened his desire to make something of it.
“I felt like being around them made me happier and made me want to grind even more,” Parker said.
Back in our normal rotation. Here’s a few soundbites from @RSNBUtes time with media today 🙌
#GoUtes | #RSNB | @AFCU https://t.co/q1HbOtv6X0
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 5, 2026
That’s got to be music to the ears of Utah fans after watching Parker rush for a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while adding five catches for 65 yards and another score in Utah’s 31-17 victory over Iowa State.
But that motivation reaches beyond the yardage totals, the next touchdown, or an individual honor. Parker wants the younger members of his family to see what is possible and have a path they can follow.
“I’m doing it for them, for generations,” he said. “I’m trying to make a generation run that my family never had before.”
Through four games, that drive is producing a résumé worth watching. Parker has scored nine touchdowns, delivered a career-best rushing performance in Utah’s conference opener and begun turning preseason recognition into an argument for more.
Wayshawn Parker’s initial case for recognition
Parker entered the season on the Maxwell Award watch list, which recognizes candidates for college football’s most outstanding player.
He added Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week recognition following his 239 total yard, three touchdown performance.
The next step is sustaining the production that makes those conversations meaningful.
As he prepares for the fifth game of the season, Parker has rushed for 328 yards and five touchdowns on 50 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per attempt. However, his role has evolved in the passing game where he’s added 15 catches for 154 yards and four more touchdowns.
That amounts to 482 yards from scrimmage on 65 touches, or 7.4 yards each time he carries or catches the ball.
His receiving production is particularly revealing. Parker has already surpassed his 2025 totals for catches and receiving touchdowns, when he finished with 13 receptions and three scores.
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Those numbers give him a case for All-Big 12 recognition and a reason to enter the discussion around the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s premier running back. That is an assessment of his early performance, with the bulk of the conference schedule still ahead.
His case rests on the different ways he can affect a game. Defenses have to account for him as a runner and receiving threat, and Utah can create opportunities for him without relying exclusively on handoffs.
Asked whether he keeps tabs on other Big 12 running backs, Parker shared it’s not something he focuses on but shared something that highlights the top-flight running back talent in the conference.
“As long as I hear my name in the conversation (with the other Big 12 running backs), I know I’m doing something great,” he said.
The work without the football
“I hate losing, hate it with a passion,” Parker said. “So, whatever I can do to help the team win, I’m going to do all I can to help.”
Parker’s competitiveness helps explain why a performance like the one two weeks ago leaves him looking for more.
Offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven sees another part of Parker’s value that does not appear in a touchdown total.
The versatility was expected. Parker’s willingness to contribute when someone else gets the opportunity has been especially meaningful.
“Most impressive thing probably with Wayshawn is what he does when he doesn’t have the ball,” McGiven said. “Just very unselfish player and a team leader.”
And Scalley offered a similar assessment after his breakout performance two Saturdays ago.
“He runs, he blocks, he picks up his teammates and celebrates with his teammates, so he deserves everything good that comes his way,” he said in the post-game press conference. “So, he deserves everything good that comes his way.”
In an offense built to distribute the football and make defenses account for multiple threats, having a back that is willing to play as hard without the ball as he does with it is huge.
That says a lot about Parker and it is a reflection of his motivation. He wants to give his family something to follow and his teammates everything he has. The touchdowns are bringing him recognition, but the blocks, effort and celebrations when someone else scores show how he measures success: helping Utah win, however the opportunity comes.
