Husky Roster Review: McCutcheon Finds Himself in Fierce Nickel Battle

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 12:02 PM ET

Entering his fifth season in the University of Washington football program, nickelback Dyson McCutcheon is one of just five Huskies who have been around that long, each a final vestige of the Jimmy Lake era.

The roll call for those remaining 2021 Husky players goes like this: offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett, tight end Quentin Moore, safety Makell Esteen and McCutcheon in scholarship recipients, plus walk-on edge rusher Milton Hopkins Jr.

This past spring, the 5-foot-11, 182-pound McCutcheon found himself in one of the fiercest competitions on the team, battling for the No. 1 nickel job with redshirt freshman Rahshawn Clark and sophomore Leroy Bryant.

While the others seem destined for secondary stardom someday -- and quite possibly as cornerbacks -- McCutcheon is making his pitch for the starting nickel job as this older guy who has a certain amount of dependabilty to him. Yet he's never opened games before at the UW. He's down to his last chance.

"It's always great knowing Dyson is showing his veteran leadership and being able to execute in clutch situations," Husky secondary coach John Richardson said during spring 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.

McCutcheon began spring practice as the No. 1 nickelback, but rotated in and out thereafter as Clark made a big move for starting consideration while Bryant bounced back and forth between corner and nickel making people continuously aware of him.

"We're looking for the best five players," Richardson said of picking a starting secondary.

With 19 Husky game appearances, McCutcheon has played more than anyone else in the nickel competition, with Bryant next with up 13 outings, though both of them probably have spent much of that time on special teams. Clark received just a few snaps in last season's opener.

McCutcheon doesn't do anything flashy, unless he shows you his football family tree -- which includes his grandfather Lawrence McCutcheon, who was one of the NFL's leading 1970s running backs, and his dad, who appeared in 103 NFL contests.

The third-generation member of this family finds himself with his college career winding down and him needing a big push if he intends to start and get a sniff of the pro football ranks.

DYSON MCCUTCHEON FILE

What he's done: McCutcheon, who has 19 career tackles and 3 pass break-ups, came to the UW as one of six defensive backs signed by Lake in his final recruiting class.

Others were Davon Banks, Jacobe Covington, Elijah Jackson, Makell Esteen and Zakhari Spears, with all of them corners except for Esteen, who's a safety. Banks now plays for Boise State, Covington is at USC, Jackson transferred to TCU and Spears has re-emerged at Idaho.

Starter or not: McCutcheon hasn't been a Husky starter before, which probably doesn't bode well for him becoming one at such a late date in his UW career. Yet his bloodlines always suggest he can do more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Husky Roster Review: Justice is Served with Williams as UW Wide Receiver

An Early Grade on UW Football Recruiting Efforts

Future Husky Offensive Line Keeps Getting Bigger and Bigger

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

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