Inside The Huskies

Deven Bryant Takes His Talents Home to Play for Trojans

The linebacker started 10 games for the Huskies in a talented position group.
Dan Raley|
Deven Bryant headed for the transfer portal from the UW.
Deven Bryant headed for the transfer portal from the UW. | Dave Sizer photo

Here's how talented the University of Washington linebacker corps is for the 2026 season.

Before he left, Deven Bryant probably was the fifth-best player in his Husky position group heading into spring ball and USC had to have him.

On Sunday night, the 5-foot-11, 230-pound junior committed to his hometown Trojans after spending three seasons in Montlake, according to multiple news outlets.

Bryant was a 10-game starter at linebacker, more than any other player, and the team's third-leading tackler with 63 this past season.

Yet he felt compelled to move on as Jedd Fisch's staff has stacked up considerable talent at linebacker for the coming season.

Bryant won a starting job this season opposite Washington State transfer Buddah Al-Uqdah with Arizona transfer Jacob Manu and freshman standout Zaydrius Rainey-Sale in recovery rom knee injuries and designated as late game-day arrivals.

When Al-Uqdah suffered a season-ending knee injury at WSU, Bryant started only next to Manu, during his sporadic four appearances while trying to redshirt, and UCF transfer Xe-ree Alexander, who continued to get better as the season went on, culminating in an LA Bowl defensive MVP accolade.

Deven Bryant and Rylon Dillard-Allen were steady UW defensive players.
Deven Bryant and Rylon Dillard-Allen were steady UW defensive players. | Dave Sizer photo

Finally, with two games remaining in the regular-season schedule, the Huskies went with Manu and Rainey-Sale as the LB starters for the first time against UCLA, bringing Bryant off the bench in the process.

He played as a reserve linebacker once more against Oregon, but passed up an opportunity to play in the LA Bowl against Boise State, indicating he was portal bound.

Cornerback Ephesians Prysock and linebacker Deven Bryant celebrate a defensive stop.
Cornerback Ephesians Prysock and linebacker Deven Bryant celebrate a defensive stop. | Dave Sizer photo

Bryant emerged from football powerhouse St. John Bosco as the top defensive player in the Southern California high school ranks, as determined by the Los Angeles Times.

He signed with the UW over Colorado, Louisville and Oregon. The Trojans recruited him but apparently didn't offer a scholarship, according to 247Sports.

The player and team are readily connected now.

“There were a lot of reasons why I chose USC,” Bryant told On3. “I had a great visit and was able to connect with coach [Lincoln] Riley and coach [Rob] Ryan. “The knowledge that coach Ryan has of the game is second to none and the history of linebackers that he has developed over the years was something that stood out to me.”

Bryant brings a physical player who is fundamentally sound and rarely out of position. If there was a quibble, he didn't have any sacks or interceptions, which is why he was considered behind the others in Montlake.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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