Clark and Bryant Each Seeking Big Payoff at UW Nickel

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 11:43 AM ET

The most competitive position on the University of Washington football team remains starting nickelback, which has been a free-for-all far more than most people realize.

It's where sophomore Leroy Bryant started ahead of redshirt freshman Rahshawn Clark in the Husky season opener this past Saturday night against Colorado State.

It's a spot in which then-redshirt freshman Jordan Shaw was the starter for nine games last season and vacated in order to transfer to Texas A&M, where he's injured and missed the Aggies opener.

It's a role that senior Thaddeus Dixon supposedly rejected once the Huskies gave his No. 1 cornerback job to Arizona transfer Tacario Davis and offered him the nickel as a consolation, sending him to North Carolina -- where on Monday night while getting blown out by TCU he was probably wishing he had stayed in Montlake.

And it's a position that some people assume will wind up in Clark's hands, not Bryant's, for Saturday night's game against UC Davis.

Not necessarily, says UW coach Jedd Fisch.

The assumption that the 6-foot, 195-pound Clark will leapfrog Bryant stems from the fact he played 42 snaps in the opener, or nearly double Bryant's total, according to Fisch, or nearly tripled Clark's playing time, 34-12, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, Fisch pointed out the Husky defense forced Colorado State into five three-and-out drives out of 10, and Bryant was on the field for a majority of them, hence his lower number of plays.

"It had to be circumstances," Fisch said of the players' snap disparity. "Rahshawn was in on longer drives."

Going forward, the two players could be used in a manner to make sure they have similar numbers.

Still, Clark played well against Colorado State with 5 tackles, which included one of the UW's most visible and crucial defensive stops -- a 14-yard sack of Colorado State back-up quarterback Tahj Bullock on a fourth-and-seven play that began as a fake field goal in the fourth quarter.

Whew.

Bryant had a lone tackle and was flagged for pass interference in the third quarter, a penalty that led to Colorado State's last touchdown, but he remains a trusted veteran, with the defense effective while he was in there.

For Fisch, it's a good problem to have.

"Every week they're going to continue to compete," the UW coach said. "Leroy and Rahshawn keep getting better."

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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