4 Veteran UW Players Who Exceeded Expectations

The University of Washington football team has had its headliners, in particular its big three offensively in Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston. Then there's been all of those precocious freshmen, six in all who've started.

Somewhere in that mix have been the overachievers, the unsung players coming into this season who turned support roles into something more mainstream and rewarding.

Four players come to mind -- linebacker Deven Bryant, defensive tackle Elinneus Davis, center Zach Henning and edge rusher Deshawn Lynch.

Bryant and Davis are sophomores who became first-time starters. Henning, yet another UW sophomore, took over at center because of an emergency need and performed with minimal difficulty. Lynch, a senior, made himself every opposing quarterback's worst nightmare just by sticking a hand up.

While the Huskies brought in three transfer linebackers this season in Jacob Manu, Buddah Al-Uqdah and Xe'ree Alexander, and unveiled freshman sensation Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, the 5-foot-11, 230-pound Bryant played more than all of them.

As knee injury recoveries, NCAA redshirt rules and the college game initiation got in the way of the others, Bryant started 10 games, ranks tied for second on the team in tackles with 63 and established himself as someone the coaching staff could count on.

He had nine tackles against Ohio State, and eight against Purdue and Washington State.

"It's just that he's dependable," UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said of Bryant. "He's consistent with his execution, with his assignment, with his communication. Dependability has allowed him to maintain his role."

The 6-foot-3, 317-pound Davis was no stranger to the football field before, but he started for the first time this season, drawing nine game-opening assignments for the Huskies, which included the Ohio State and Michigan games, and ranks 10th in the team in tackles with 25.

Elinneus Davis tries to fight off a blocker to get to an Illinois ball carrier. | Dave Sizer photo

In what amounted to a job share, Davis was used more than Western Michigan transfer Anterio Thompson and junior Bryce Butler, who each started twice.

"Elinneus is continuing really where he left off last year, where he was a really good pass-rushing defensive lineman who is very physical and can tackle the runners, so it's a pretty good combination," coach Jedd Fisch said.

After lining up as a special-teamer and even a blocking tight end, and starting once in the latter role, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Henning slid into the No. 1 center spot once junior Landen Hatchett injured a wrist and had to have surgery.

Zach Henning, wearing No. 80 as a tight end, leads the blocking for Adam Mohammed against Illinois. | Dave Sizer photo

"We had to ask him to be our starting center against a 6-foot-6 defensive tackle who's one of the better ones in all of the Big Ten," Fisch said, also mentioning a touted linebacker and two edge rushers that Henning had to contend with. "I thought Zach did a great job of handling that."

And then there's the 6-foot-5, 295-pound Lynch, a one-time Sacramento State transfer, who was injured to begin the season and came off the bench over the past 10 games to swat down 7 passes, or nearly one per game.

Deshawn Lynch has 7 pass break-ups and he's an edge rusher. | Dave Sizer photo

"You see some of the plays he's made, like his football instincts, his ability to jump, his ability to see the ball coming out of the passer's hand, his ability to chase down a runner on the backside, to drop into coverage, to win on a pass rush," Fisch said.

They've been the Huskies' fearsome foursome without a lot of fanfare, making plays, being overly reliable and doing more than anyone initially envisioned.

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