University of Nevada Athletics

Parker Henry will head into his second season as Nevada’s special teams coordinator and first overseeing the Wolf Pack nickels in 2025 after coaching linebackers a season ago.

Henry, who began his playing career as a nickel during Choate’s season at Washington State in 2012, oversaw a Wolf Pack group which accounted for three of the team’s top four tacklers in 2024. Despite injuries limiting him to just nine games last season, Tongiaki Mateialona still finished third on the team with 61 tackles while leading the Wolf Pack with 9.0 tackles-for-loss. Part of Henry’s work with the corps included the elevation of a pair of redshirt sophomores in their first significant time as Stone Combs (58 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and Austin Harnetiaux (44 tackles, 1.5 TFL) were taking on the lion’s share of the workload over the final month of the campaign.

Henry served as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Portland State in 2023. The Viking special teams units accounted for a pair of touchdown returns (one kick, one punt), while ranking sixth-nationally in punt returns (17.3 yards per return) and 20th in kick returns (22.3 ypr).

Under Henry’s tutelage, linebacker Michael Montgomery was named a Freshman All-American by FCS Football Central. Montgomery, a true freshman in 2023, ranked second on the Viks defense with 69 tackles, also recording 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Two of Henry’s charges, kicker Gianni Smith and linebacker Parker McKenna were named All-Big Sky Second Team and honorable mention, respectively. Smith went 8-for-9 on field-goal attempts, topping the Big Sky with an 88.9 conversion rate, and was 6-of-7 on tries of at least 40 yards, including hitting two of his three attempts from 50-plus.

Henry spent the 2022-23 seasons as a defensive analyst at USC. He also has three seasons or experience at Oklahoma as a defensive graduate assistant (2019-21).  The Sooners played in the 2019 Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal), 2020 Cotton Bowl and 2021 Alamo Bowl.

A 2016 graduate of Washington State, Henry earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and sports management. He earned his master’s degree in human relations from Oklahoma in 2021.

Henry played on the Washington State football team as a nickelback (2012-16). In his 41-game career, he had 103 tackles, including seven for losses, and an interception, while starting 12 times. He went on to begin his coaching career at Skyview High School in 2017, coaching linebackers and running backs.