As the Huskies prepare to take on their first ranked opponent of the year, No. 18 USC, Jedd Fisch and his offense will game plan for a familiar face in fourth-year linebacker Deven Bryant, who chose to take his talents back home to Los Angeles over the offseason.
Spending three years on Montlake, the former three-star recruit out of St. John Bosco became a key part of Washington's linebacker rotation during the 2025 season. That year, Bryant recorded 62 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pair of pass breakups.
Despite starting in ten of the twelve games he appeared in, Fisch explained that the veteran defender wasn't likely to see the same amount of playing time if he returned in 2026.
"Deven was fantastic. Deven's an awesome kid, but Deven wanted
to start, and Jacob Manu and Zaydrius (Rainey-Sale) were the starters," Fisch said. "And then Xe'ree (Alexander) was right there, and Deven wanted a chance, and Deven and I had amazing conversations, and he's a wonderful kid, and the conversations were real clear-cut, like, 'I think I have an opportunity to start if I go into the portal, and here I probably don't have an opportunity to start, so I'm going to go in the portal and go start.' We wished him absolutely the best; he got his degree. I can't wait to say hello to him after the game."
Jedd Fisch said that LB Deven Bryant got beat out of the starting role at the end of last year at UW.
— Nick Lemkau (@nicklemkaucfb) September 28, 2026
JF says that he had great conversations with Bryant before transferring, that he supported Bryant who viewed that he had a better opportunity to start at USC.
In his five games with the Trojans, Bryant has recorded a team-leading 27 tackles, and after giving up 42 points to Oregon, led by backup quarterback Dylan Raiola, Bryant and the USC defense will look to tighten things up against his former squad.
Bryant originally committed to coach Kalen DeBoer as part of the 2023 class, where he redshirted his first year during the Huskies' run to the national championship. After appearing in eight games during Fisch's inaugural season, Bryant was named a starter in his third year before losing his spot to the likes of Manu, a 2023 All-Pac-12 First Team honoree at Arizona, and sophomore standout Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.
With the depth and talent that defensive coordinator Ryan Walters' unit has at the position, it's hard to debate the former Husky's decision to return to play for his hometown team. While his old head coach and teammates are surely excited to reconnect, it will be all business for 60 minutes as both teams try to bounce back from a Week Four loss.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Football Set to Face Former Starting LB Against USC
