Inside The Huskies

Deven Bryant Takes His Turn with No. 1 Husky Defense

The sophomore linebacker has been the only constant in his position group over the last two years.
Dan Raley|
Deven Bryant has been making a move in UW spring ball.
Deven Bryant has been making a move in UW spring ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Decker DeGraaf and Deven Bryant ran up the sideline together last week at the University of Washington's East practice field until the pass arrived and went up for it, making contact in the process.

DeGraaf, the Huskies' superlative sophomore tight end, came away with the ball while Bryant, a persistent sophomore linebacker, let out an expletive.

Bryant, however, wasn't necessarily the loser on this play -- DeGraaf had given him a discreet shove to create separation and gotten away with it.

What didn't go unnoticed was these two were 25 yards downfield, which means that Bryant was able to once more show off his ability to run.

On Saturday, he spent much of the Huskies' ninth spring practice working with the No. 1 defense, playing alongside Washington State transfer Taariq "Buddah" Al-Uqdah and covering a lot of ground. At least for a day, he moved past UCF transfer Xe'ree Alexander and auditioned for a more meaningful role.

"Deven has been doing a really good job," new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said.

Xe'ree Alexander and Deven Bryant go one on one in a UW linebacker drill.
Xe'ree Alexander and Deven Bryant go one on one in a UW linebacker drill. | Skylar Lin Visuals

While Husky linebackers recently have come and gone in droves, the 5-foot-11, 234-pound Bryant has been the only linebacker constant in the program over the past two seasons, appearing in a dozen games, all as a reserve.

Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala, Drew Fowler, Khmori House and Bryun Parham from last season each used up their eligibility or transferred out.

Linebacker newcomers Jacob Manu and Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, an Arizona transfer and the headliner of the incoming recruiting class, respectively, arrived with knee injuries that have required rehabilitation and prevented them from participating in this spring ball.

Add to that, the UW moved one-time Michigan transfer Hayden Moore from linebacker primarily to edge rusher this spring.

Bryant, who missed all of spring ball last year with a foot injury, has been the only scholarship linebacker on the roster for the 2023 and 2024 seasons who remains a Husky.

He moves exceedingly well going laterally. He showed off that ability during Saturday's scrimmage when he dropped quickly into the flat and took down running back Jonah Coleman for no gain after the latter caught a Demond Williams Jr. pass.

While in developmental for Kalen DeBoer's and Jedd Fisch's UW coaching staffs, this California native often ihas been forgotten or gets overlooked when position groups are broken down and starting candidates are considered. That's changing.

This spring, Bryant, whose sturdy, compact frame is not unlike Manu or Al-Uqdah's, seems to be making steady inroads as a reliable player for the Huskies while showing off his linebacker range.

To get the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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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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