Hunter Bryant Returns to the Huskies In Spiritual Role

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 11:04 AM ET

Hunter Bryant held a football in his hands as he walked the sideline on Sunday at the University of Washington's fourth practice in fall camp, which seemed only right for a guy who caught a lot of passes during his time in Montlake.

While the former Husky tight end looked like he could still play and Jedd Fisch's team is down a few players at that position, Bryant was in attendance for a totally different reason.

He's the new team chaplain, following the lead of former UW players Mike Rohrbach and Gregg Alex and others who preceded him in that capacity, on hand to lend spiritual support to the latest generation of Huskies.

"It's good to be back home," Bryant said. "It's a crazy turnaround in my life, but I'm really excited to be back supporting the players and love on them."

Certainly this once very talented player originally from Issaquah, Washington, can share with Fisch's players how he experienced the high and lows of a demanding game, and came out it for the better.

In 2019, Bryant caught 52 passes -- the second most for a UW tight end in school annals -- for 825 yards and 3 touchdowns and was named as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection. He finished with career total of 85 receptions for 1,394 yards and 5 scores.

Passing up his senior college season during the COVID pandemic, he went undrafted, but was able to sign with the Detroit Lions as a free agent and make the 53-man roster.

As a rookie, Bryant played in five games and even caught a 44-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford against the Tennessee Titans, but he couldn't stay healthy.

"Stafford threw a great ball and I made a play," he said. "I wish there was more, but I'm happy with that one."

The NFL was never easy on him. He injured a hamstring in training camp, suffered a concussion in practice, and then tore an ACL that required multiple surgeries. And that was it.

Bryant was waived multiple times, that last on April 27, 2022, and ultimately retired from the game after drawing just a taste of the NFL.

Always the cerebral one, he should be able to counsel players who are struggling with football and their confidence levels, and guide them through it. He remains as upbeat as ever.

"It was a lot of fun being in Detroit, playing for that team, playing with those guys, competing," Bryant said. "Super thankful for my life and what I got to experience and what I'm doing now."

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

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