Inside The Huskies

Leroy Bryant Had Rough Season, But Great LA Bowl

The Huskies' sophomore defensive back came up with two interceptions, the first of his career.
Dan Raley|
In a chain reaction of receivers and defenders, Leroy Bryant came up with the interception, one of two for him at the LA Bowl.
In a chain reaction of receivers and defenders, Leroy Bryant came up with the interception, one of two for him at the LA Bowl. | Dave Sizer photo

Leroy Bryant probably would be the first to tell you he didn't have the best season for the University of Washington football team.

He began play as the starting nickelback when everything got going with the Colorado State opener. He filled in as a starting cornerback for senior Tacario Davis in the Apple Cup against Washington State after the latter suffered a rib injury the game before while making a diving interception. He opened five games in all.

However by midseason, the 6-foot, 185-pound Bryant, a sophomore from Fairfield, California, had been passed over for both jobs.

He took a backseat to redshirt freshman Rahshawn Clark when he returned to nickel and then watched freshman Dylan Robinson become a No. 1 cornerback as a replacement for Davis, who later incurred another injury and couldn't finish the season.

What happened was Bryant got picked on and repeatedly beat in coverage to the point he seemed to lose confidence, if body language was any indicator.

However at the LA Bowl, he was a new man in the secondary, coming up with a pair of interceptions in the Huskies' 38-10 victory over Boise State at SoFi Stadium -- providing two of his team's five picks in the postseason outing.

Bryant simply showed why you don't give up on someone after they hit a rough spot. And with the Huskies in need of two new starting corners for next season, he's put himself in good position to pursue one of those first-team jobs for 2026.

After all, he was the guy who was on the fast track two years ago for the Huskies' 14-1 team that advanced to the national title game.

He showed up as the lowest rated of three new cornerbacks and proceeded to bypass Caleb Presley and Curley Reed III and get on the field first while the others never got off the bench as freshmen. Those other guys played very little in their second years and transferred out to San Jose State and Louisiana, respectively.

Bryant, in fact, pulled off the unusual feat of preserving his redshirt status in 2023 after appearing in seven games.

Leroy Bryant pulls in his end-zone interception against Boise State.
Leroy Bryant pulls in his end-zone interception against Boise State. | Dave Sizer photo

He played in the maximum four regular-season games and then got on the field in all three UW postseason outings -- the Pac-12 championship and the CFP semifinal and title games -- none of which counted against his redshirt.

So Byrant was the new guy on an accelerated pace when he first showed up in Montlake then someone who hit a rough patch in his third season, but he's hung in there and just had his best game as a Husky in the LA Bowl.

The interceptions against Boise State both happened in the fourth quarter and were the first of his college career.

Leroy Bryant helps bring down a Boise State ball carrier.
Leroy Bryant helps bring down a Boise State ball carrier. | Dave Sizer photo

Bryant stole the first one on an acrobatic play in a crowd in the end zone, with the accompanying photos showing the chan-reaction of players involved in this particular turnover with 12:38 remaining in the game.

His second interception emerged when he stepped in front of a Boise State receiver and came down with the football at his own 40 with 9:10 left to play.

So a rejuvenated Leroy Bryant will turn up in April for spring football, looking to keep his personal momentum going, looking for more interceptions.

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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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