Husky Roster Review: Leroy Bryant Looks For Another Job Opening

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated May 7, 2025 2:50 PM ET

Leroy Bryant will find a way into University of Washington football games, that's a given. It's just not clear how he'll do it.

Each year, the Husky defensive back has had to get creative in landing playing time.

As a freshman in 2023, Bryant did something truly unique -- he appeared in seven UW games yet he redshirted. He pulled this off by not exceeding the four permissible regular-season outings and then played in all three postseason games that didn't count against his eligibility.

Last season, the kid who pulls on jersey No. 0 missed the first five games of the season with an unspecified injury, but recovered in time to play cornerback in six outings, and even started the Sun Bowl against Louisville.

This coming fall, the 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore is in competition to become the Huskies' first-unit nickelback with senior Dyson McCutcheon and redshirt freshman sensation Rahshawn Clark, doing whatever is asked of him to get there.

"He's a brilliant kid, a smart kid and he wants a spot on the field," UW secondary coach John Richardson said. "He doesn't wear that zero for nothing. He just wants to play ball."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

With projected starting corners Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock limited during spring ball by injuries, Bryant pulled a lot of time in their spots. Yet the Huskies had him alternate as a nickel because they want to get him and his speed on the field as much as possible.

"He always had good acceleration in being able to accelerate out of the blocks," Richardson said. "One thing he did this spring is finding the football a lot more. One thing we're looking for is guys who make plays on the ball and he took that challenge."

While he's not going to dislodge Davis or Prysock, both soon to be three-year starters counting time spent at the UW and Arizona, Bryant is being groomed to replace one of them once they're gone. Meanwhile, he'll play nickel if it will get him into games.

"The five best players will play," Richardson said.

LEROY BRYANT FILE

What he's done: Bryant has appeared in 13 Husky games overall, either as a cornerback or a special-teamer. He came out of Fairfield, California, as the least heralded of three Husky corners in his class, but has outlasted Caleb Presley and Curley Reed, who transferred to San Jose State and Louisiana, respectively.

Starter or not: He drew the Sun Bowl start, but that was a bit of a misnomer because he played just the opening series. That usually means someone else was being penalized for being late or committing some other transgression, but the coaching staff wouldn't reveal what happened. Either way, Bryant is fully capable of starting and going the distance.

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

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