Husky Roster Review: UW Has Grown More Reliant on Deven Bryant

Bring 100 University of Washington football players together on the practice field and everyone has a reputation for having done something somewhere.

They can compare recruiting stars, recruiting visits and 40 times all they want.

Yet usually what separates those who play and those who don't are the ones who can be trusted to do the correct thing, to hold up under fire, when the game is on the line.

On top of the physicality, there's a necessary mindset required to be great.

And that's why sophomore linebacker Deven Bryant made as many strides this past spring as anyone over 15 practices and put himself in position to play on a regular basis.

"His knowledge is the thing that kind of separates him and his anticipation within plays and his knowledge of the defense," UW linebackers coach Brian Odom said. "His ability to be at the right spot, at the right time, and make the play has really stood out to me."

Deven Bryant works on his tackling in spring ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

It took the compact 5-foot-11, 234-pound Bryant just three practices to move from the second unit to the first, where he remained much of spring ball.

If he wasn't the most serious player on the field, this former St. John Bosco High standout from Southern California certainly was among them.

When Demond Williams Jr. completed a quick out pass to Kevin Green Jr in his area, and the linebacker got there a step late, Bryant yelled out loud to himself, "C'mon focus!"

Linebackers Xe'ree Alexander and Deven Bryant collide in a spring drill. | Skylar Lin Visuals

A year ago, he missed all of spring practice while wearing a protective boot on his left foot and, like it or not, that put him behind all of the linebackers, most of whom were seniors. Because of that, it took Jedd Fisch's coaching staff a little longer to get acquainted with him.

What was different this spring for Bryant was he stayed healthy throughout, performed well and was no stranger to Odom, the Huskies' new linebacker coach who had tried to recruit him to USC.

He showed off his speed by chasing down running back Jonah Coleman on a flat pass and limiting him to a one-yard gain. He did the same with speedster Chris Lawson, a freshman wide receiver, keeping him to a 3-yard gain on a play that could have gone a lot longer.

Most impressive, Bryant shot through the line of scrimamge during the Spring Game to get a touch sack on the elusive Demond Williams Jr., no easy feat.

This spring, Williams and Bryant, when the first one wasn't trying to avoid the other, walked onto the practice field together a couple of times, in deep discussion, with these two like-minded individuals obviously respectful of each other's game.

DEVEN BRYANT FILE

What he's done: Bryant has appeared in a dozen games, including eight in 2024. He has 7 career tackles, four of which came in one defensive series alone, in his college debut, against Boise State. He had 213 career tackles at St. John Bosco. In 2022, Bryant was selected California's Defensive Player of the Year by multiple news outlets. He can hit and run.

Starter or not: Bryant has put himself in position to start next to WSU transfer Buddah Al-Uqdah, but a lot depends on whether Arizona transfer Jacob Manu, who once led the Pac-12 in tackles, can get healthy for fall camp after recovering from a knee injury. Also, the Huskies at times used a 5-1-5 alignment, with on Al-Uqdah on the field. Yet Bryant appears to be ready to play a significant amount.

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