Leroy Bryant Started the Sun Bowl, But Drew Only 3 Scrimmage Plays

At the Sun Bowl, Leroy Bryant started for the first time in his University of Washington football career at right cornerback, with the Huskies coaching staff elevating the redshirt freshman over senior Thaddeus Dixon, the first-teamer for the first 12 games.

While Bryant is considered a rising player on the depth chart, it still seemed like an unusual lineup change at such a late date in the season.

Recently asked what was behind the sudden player switch in El Paso, secondary coach John Richardson had this to say about Bryant, who was injured in fall camp and didn't become available until the middle of the season.:

"He showed a lot of good things in that Sun Bowl game. We look forward to him building off of that."

The trouble with that assessment is Bryant played only the opening series against Louisville at cornerback, which went three-and-out, just long enough for him to make the tackle on a third-down pass play and force a punt.

Dixon came on the field for each of the 10 Husky defensive series that followed to the end of the game.

Three scrimmage plays was it for Bryant, except for his usual special-teams duty, which involved covering kickoffs.

Asked if Bryant had moved up because of an injury or some other reason, Richardson smiled and responded, "He played in the Sun Bowl. It was good by him to see what he had."

If someone made a misstep here, causing the temporary player shuffle at the Sun Bowl, the coach wasn't going there. For that matter, Dixon now plays for North Carolina after being very public about not feeling wanted enough at the UW to return.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Bryant from Fairfield, California, remains an interesting player for the Huskies, especially when considering his initial depth chart advancement in 2023.

Leroy Bryant is in the middle of the UW cornerback competition. | Skylar Lin Visuals

He played in seven games as a true freshman and still retained his redshirt, because three of his outings came in the postseason, which didn't count against the eligibility standards.

This past season, Bryant appeared to hurt his hand in fall camp and sat out seven of the 13 games, making his debut in the Huskies 27-17 victory over Michigan at home.

As the UW moves closer to spring ball, Bryant could have difficulty pulling another cornerback start right away, with 13-game starter Ephesians Prysock and Arizona transfer and 11-game starter Tacario Davis reuniting as a coverage tandem.

Asked if he might consider trying Bryant at nickelback, now that former starter Jordan Shaw has moved to Texas A&M, Richardson didn't say no.

"We're going to put the best five out there to compete," the coach said. "We'll see where it lands. Tune in. It should be fun. "

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