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Washington Huskies Head Coach Discusses Transfer Exit Finding Success With USC
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- Washington Huskies Head Coach Discusses Transfer Exit Finding Success With USC
(Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
The Washington Huskies football team will travel away from the Pacific Northwest for the first time this season. The Huskies will travel down the West Coast to play the No. 18 Southern California (USC) Trojans at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.
When the Huskies head down to L.A., the offense will be lined up across a familiar face.
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Washington had several players transfer out of the program this offseason. Several of them are now finding success with new programs. Junior running back Adam Mohammed (transferred to the Cal Golden Bears) is one of the better running backs in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and third-year offensive lineman Paki Finau has been one of the best linemen in the country this season for the BYU Cougars .
The Trojans have another former Husky, junior linebacker Deven Bryant.
Fifth-year linebackers Jacob Manu and Buddah Al-Uqdah were both limited last year with injuries. Both linebackers were back healthy this season and second-year linebacker Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, who was the top recruit in the state of Washington in the Class of 2025, was also expected to receive more opportunities in 2026.
With a crowded linebacker room that also included fourth-year Xe'ree Alexander, Bryant opted to enter the transfer portal and joined USC.
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"He just wasn't the starter at the end of the year," Fisch said in a weekly news conference . "He got beat out. Deven was fantastic, Deven's an awesome kid, but Deven wanted to start. And Jacob Manu and Zaydrius were the starters. And Xe'ree was right there and Deven wanted a chance. Deven and I had amazing conversations, and he's a wonderful kid, and the conversations were real clear-cut, black and white, 'I think I have an opportunity to start If I go in 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.' And we wished him the absolute best. ... I can't wait to say 'hello' to him after the game. But he's a wonderful person and had three great years here."
Last season, Bryant played in 12 games and started 10. He played in 12 total games the two seasons prior.
In 2025, Bryant finished with 62 total tackles (42 solo), including two tackles for loss and two passes defended.
This year with the Trojans, Bryant has 27 total tackles across five games (16 solo).
