New Dawg Report: Deven Bryant

What are the Huskies getting in their other exciting linebacker recruit?

Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach William Inge had a plan to attack Washington's lack of depth at linebacker when he came up from Fresno State with head coach Kalen DeBoer. In his first recruiting cycle, Inge found some promising players in Jordan Whitney and Deven Bryant.

Bryant is the perfect kind of player to lead a defense and has proved that he can do that at a high level. Bryant was one of the leaders of the national champion St. John Bosco Braves, who play in California's Trinity League, arguably the toughest high school football division in the country.

Not only did Bryant lead the national champions in tackles, but his play stood out among the star-studded defense riddled with Division I players, including five-star Oregon commit Matayo Uiagalelei and four-star Louisville commit Aaron Williams. Bryant was named California Defensive Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports, and his tape backs up the selection.

Bryant is a force against both the run and pass, and displays excellent range and vision. He's a versatile linebacker who can move all over the formation and make plays no matter where he is on the field. One of his best attributes is his speed, and he shows the ability to beat the ball carrier to the edge on stretch plays routinely, eliminating big plays.

Bryant is going to be a welcome addition for the Huskies, who desperately need to add talent at inside linebacker. The team is somewhat thin at the position, with just five players on scholarship, including USC transfer Ralen Goforth who will need some time to learn the system, and junior college transfer Demario King, who missed all of 2022.

While there shouldn't be an expectation to see much of Bryant in 2023, he should have an impactful career at Washington. With his football IQ, tackling ability and natural leadership, he has a ceiling as an All-Pac-12 linebacker and could see a role in the team's rotation as early as 2024.

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