Deven Bryant Wills His Way Into Lineup -- And He's Not Coming Out

With the opener just two and a half weeks away, a finalized University of Washington football defense is beginning to take shape.

Edge rushers Jacob Lane and Zach Durfee are the first ones out for scrimmage snaps, with each of these guys more important than ever because fellow veterans Isaiah Ward and Deshawn Lynch, who were part-time starters in 2024, are sidelined for the time being.

Defensive tackles Anterio Thompson and Ti'ita'i Uiagalelei recently have settled in together up front, moving ahead of a host of characters in different shapes and sizes who had their chances, plus Jayvon Parker, who apparently is not close to returning from an Achilles tendon tear that ended last season for him.

In the secondary, Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock have been solid at the No. 1cornerbacks, but Alex McLaughlin and Makell Esteen at the safeties, and Leroy Bryant at nickelback have had to separate themselves from the competition.

That leaves the starting linebackers who have been the same two guys practically since the middle of spring football, with no one getting in their way.

Taariq "Buddah" Al-Uqdah and Deven Bryant.

No other linebacker has been able to make them take a play off or share their position for even a series or two.

Al-Uqdah and Bryant have left no doubt as to who will man these linebacking positions for the opener against Colorado State as ready replacements for the graduated Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala.

While Al-Uqdah is no surprise after starting 21 games over two seasons at Washington State, the 5-foot-11, 234-pound Bryant has amazed everyone by staking his claim to the other job in such a strong-minded fashion because he doesn't have a long UW resume of stats and starts over two previous seasons.

Instead, Bryant has shown himself to be a highly instinctual and mistake-free player who has won over his coaches, especially first-year UW linebackers leader Brian Odom.

"Getting into spring ball, he just continued to make plays, continued to be in the right spot, and continued to do the right thing. and continued to show he knows the playbook and get lined up and communicate it, and do all the things we're asking these guys to do," Odom said, "and he's doing it at a high level and that has not changed in full camp."

Al-Uqdah and Bryant also carry the extra pressure of playing well and being dependable because Arizona transfer Jacob Manu, the Pac-12's one-time leading tackler, and freshman Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, the UW's top first-year player in terms of recruiting hype, apparently won't be ready when the season begins. They're still in recovery from knee surgery.

The thing that grips you about Deven Bryant is how serious he is all of the time.

Informed that he looked comfortable as a starting UW linebacker, Bryant immediately turned that one around, saying, "I'm never comfortable. Every day you have to go out there and prove yourself because the job can be taken at any moment."

Wednesday's UW practice was held in windy, overcast conditions. | Dan Raley

Bryant emerged from the St. John Bosco high school football powerhouse in Southern California, so football bright lights don't bother him.

He redshirted as a freshman in 2023, which allowed him plenty of time to learn from Huskies all now in the NFL.

"My freshman year, Eddie [Ulofoshio], Carson, Bralen [Trice] and Zo all kind of took me under their wing," Bryant said. "Learning from those guys kind of helped me process the game faster."

While at USC, Odom tried to recruit Bryant to the Trojans across town, appreciating him both for his physicality and in getting himself prepared to play at a high level.

"You turn around and he's making a play because he's anticipating the play or he's seen the formation or he's reading the block, or whatever the case may be in that instance," the UW coach said. "But he's flashed and flashed in a big way."

While Bryant pulled his regular linebacker shifts, the Huskies during their 12th practice on Tuesday worked on situational downs and special teams while building up to Saturday night's mock game.

Left offensive guard continues to be the most involved position battle. Freshman John Mills seemed to pull the most scrimamge snaps, ahead of redshirt freshman Paki Finau, and even sophomore Zach Henning, who drew a late series at that guard spot.

John Mills is still in the competition to open the season as the starting left offensive guard. | Dan Raley

In some of the highlighted plays on Wednesday, sophomore quarterback Demond Wiliams Jr. threw an absolute dart to sophomore tight end Decker DeGraaf in a tight window on the sideline for a 39-yard gain.

Not to be outdone, Tulane transfer Kai Horton hit freshman tight end Austin Simmons with a 15-yard scoring pass that brought most of the offensive players running into the end zone to celebrate, with Simmons showing exceptional speed to get into the end zone.

The Huskies now turn their attention to Thursday's fall practice No. 13, which will mark the return of junior wide receiver Denzel Boston to practice with a medical clearance in hand following an unspecified offseason surgery.

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