“I felt there was something here that was special and I felt I had an opportunity here that I couldn’t pass up,” Washington Husky inside linebacker Deven Bryant told the media this summer.
He’s waited his turn, dealt with a foot injury that set him back some last year but now he has earned the trust of Jedd Fisch’s coaching staff for his consistency.
While his fellow teammate at St. John Bosco High School and UW linebacker Khmori House felt the need to leave after he burst on to the scene in 2024, Bryant has stayed the course in Montlake.
The Bermuda Grass that was supposed to be greener in North Carolina, it hasn’t been the case. Although House leads the Tar Heels in tackles, he has 10 fewer stops than Bryant.
UNC sits at 2 wins on the season, and the team appears to be in chaos. The Huskies on the other hand, could achieve bowl-eligibility against Illinois at home on Saturday.
Bryant is second with the Huskies, behind Safety Alex McLaughlin and led the Huskies in tackles against Washington State and Rutgers.
In high school, at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California he finished his career with 231 total tackles, including 114 total tackles his senior season. Between his junior and senior campaigns, he had an average of 8 stops a game. He was rated a 3-star inside linebacker coming out of high school, mainly because of his
Perhaps it’s a chip on his shoulder from being overlooked by many scouts, but Bryant is heads above many linebackers ahead of him in game speed.
“His effort is top notch,” said RealDawg.com’s Trevor Mueller. “Forget height and what many said was not top-end speed, he is instinctive and smart–essentially a 3-star Edefuan Ulofoshio who was unrated coming out of high school.”
For the Huskies, in conference play and against Washington State, Bryant is averaging 7 tackles a game in his first full season as a starter. He saw time in 4 games as a true freshman but was hobbled last season by injuries.
In 2024, his lone tackle was at in the 35-6 loss at Penn State despite playing in 8 games, much on special teams.
In reality, the redshirt sophomore has 7 games under his belt, having started each game this season and has shared most of the inside linebacking duties with Xe’ree Alexander, who’s 5th on the team in tackles.
Both players are factoring heavily into the defense while Washington is figuring out how to utilize Arizona-transfer Jacob Manu’s eligibility.
The former Arizona Wildcat has filed an eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA, Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah has been lost for the season and true freshman Zaydrius Rainey-Sale rehabbed his way back after off-season surgery.
The scenario of Al-Uqdah, Rainey-Sale, Manu, Alexander and Bryant vying for playing time next season is a real possibility. But for this season Bryant continues to call the defensive plays that he’s earned a green sticker on the back of his helmet signifying that he has headset communication with the sideline–and the trust.
