If Bryant Had a Nickel For Every Time He's Been Underestimated

Bryant just keeps showing up to get in on the action, especially for the biggest games on the schedule.

Consider that he's appeared in 13 UW career outings and they've included, in this order: the 2023 Pac-12 championship game against Oregon, the Sugar Bowl and CFP semifinal game against Texas, college football's national championship game against Michigan and the Sun Bow against Louisville.

"Whoever plays the best the day before will start the next day," UW coach Jedd Fisch said this past Monday, explaining the player's recent ascension at nickel. "Leroy had a really good practice yesterday so he will practice today with the one group."

Arriving at the UW, Bryant arrived as the least heralded of Kalen DeBoer's three 2023 cornerback recruits, a 3-star prospect to Caleb Presley and Curley Reed II, who each held one star more.

He then did what no one else in school history has accomplished -- Bryant appeared in seven games as a freshman and still maintained his redshirt status, with all of those postseason games not counting against his eligibility.

Meantime, Presley and Reed didn't play in a game as freshmen.

In 2024, Bryant was injured and missed the first five games of the season before turning up for, what else, another big game, this one against Michigan at Husky Stadium. He ended up starting the Sun Bowl against Louisville.

In his freshman year, he didn't play until the third game at Michigan State, but, again, finished very strong.

Meantime, Presley never played in a game for the Huskies and transferred to San Jose State while Reed made a cameo appearance in the season opener against Weber State, entered the transfer portal and now plays for Louisiana.

Bryant not only has commandeered the nickel position, showing a lot of range and knocking away passes with a quick break on the ball, he remains the next man up should either one of the Huskies' starting senior corners, Tacario Davis or Ephesians Prysock, need a replacement.

"It's how do we find the combination of five or six defensive backs because we're going to have to play that many?" Fisch said.

Consider Bryant found and never lost. Already, his coaches are looking at him likely as a starting cornerback for the 2026 season. Nickel or corner, you just can't minimize his talent and keep this guy off the football field.

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