Wake Forest Athletics
Bryant Finding Comfort at Linebacker
9/7/2023 12:57:00 PM | Football
“This is the second year I’ve been playing linebacker and I’m feeling more comfortable.” - Quincy Bryant
With a Spring Camp practice moved into the comfortable confines of McCreary Field House because of inclement weather, Wake Forest linebacker Quincy Bryant spotted a pass batted in the air by cornerback DaShawn Jones. Bryant streaked toward the ball, cupped it off the turf, then ran it back 30-plus yards for a pick-six.
"I'm not sure if it was on the ground, but to me it was a pick," Bryant said.
There's no video replay — at least immediately — during a spring camp rep, so the play stood as the defense cheered on their big play.
"This is the second year I've been playing linebacker and I'm feeling more comfortable," Bryant said. "I'm getting my reads in and getting more comfortable. I've put a lot of work in. I needed a lot of reps, so this spring was really important for me."
The third year sophomore is among a group of standouts at linebacker in Spring Camp under Glenn Spencer, who is in his second year as linebacker coach at Wake Forest.
"You know what you need to work on, and things you can do to fine-tune your game," Bryant said. "Our coaching staff does a great job of breaking things down for us."
Gone from the Wake Forest linebacker room is Ryan Smenda Jr., who signed a three-year deal worth $2.7 million with the Los Angeles Rams, but that doesn't mean his voice is completely missing.
"Ryan is still in contact with us, and we talk to him all the time," Bryant said. "There are guys in the room who help a lot, like Dylan Hazen. Our room has the same energy. We help each other, and that's my favorite thing about this whole thing. We have incredible camaraderie, and I take pride in that."
Locked in as one of the starters for the 2023 season will be redshirt senior Chase Jones, who was named a team captain in mid-April.
"We make fun of him, because he's the old guy now," Bryant said. "He's in graduate school now. Before it was Luke Masterson, then Ryan Smenda and now Chase."
With nearly two dozen scholarship offers, Bryant was recruited by schools as a safety, cornerback or linebacker. He arrived in the spring of 2021 as a 192-pound safety, but started bulking up quickly. According to Bryant, he changed positions weekly at Parkview (Lilburn, GA) High School, often matching up against the opposition's best receiver or running back.
He got to 207 pounds his first full semester on campus, and by the time fall camp started he was transitioned to the linebacker room. Now, entering the second year under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Brad Lambert and Spencer, he's expecting a big jump in his production.
"That helps a lot," he said of the coaching continuity. "This is the first time of me having my feet in the ground with the same defense. It helps to progress forward instead of having to learn a lot of new things."
Now checking in around 225 pounds, Bryant is becoming a more imposing physical presence at linebacker.
"I feel good," he said. "At first, my ankles hurt, but now my body is used to it. Pursuit is the key. Just consistently going. That's one of the things I struggled with early. It's important to go and then finish by tackling.
"Being a smaller guy, it's important for me to be physical. Blitzing is something I have a lot of success with this camp."
"I'm not sure if it was on the ground, but to me it was a pick," Bryant said.
There's no video replay — at least immediately — during a spring camp rep, so the play stood as the defense cheered on their big play.
"This is the second year I've been playing linebacker and I'm feeling more comfortable," Bryant said. "I'm getting my reads in and getting more comfortable. I've put a lot of work in. I needed a lot of reps, so this spring was really important for me."
The third year sophomore is among a group of standouts at linebacker in Spring Camp under Glenn Spencer, who is in his second year as linebacker coach at Wake Forest.
"You know what you need to work on, and things you can do to fine-tune your game," Bryant said. "Our coaching staff does a great job of breaking things down for us."
Gone from the Wake Forest linebacker room is Ryan Smenda Jr., who signed a three-year deal worth $2.7 million with the Los Angeles Rams, but that doesn't mean his voice is completely missing.
"Ryan is still in contact with us, and we talk to him all the time," Bryant said. "There are guys in the room who help a lot, like Dylan Hazen. Our room has the same energy. We help each other, and that's my favorite thing about this whole thing. We have incredible camaraderie, and I take pride in that."
Locked in as one of the starters for the 2023 season will be redshirt senior Chase Jones, who was named a team captain in mid-April.
"We make fun of him, because he's the old guy now," Bryant said. "He's in graduate school now. Before it was Luke Masterson, then Ryan Smenda and now Chase."
With nearly two dozen scholarship offers, Bryant was recruited by schools as a safety, cornerback or linebacker. He arrived in the spring of 2021 as a 192-pound safety, but started bulking up quickly. According to Bryant, he changed positions weekly at Parkview (Lilburn, GA) High School, often matching up against the opposition's best receiver or running back.
He got to 207 pounds his first full semester on campus, and by the time fall camp started he was transitioned to the linebacker room. Now, entering the second year under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Brad Lambert and Spencer, he's expecting a big jump in his production.
"That helps a lot," he said of the coaching continuity. "This is the first time of me having my feet in the ground with the same defense. It helps to progress forward instead of having to learn a lot of new things."
Now checking in around 225 pounds, Bryant is becoming a more imposing physical presence at linebacker.
"I feel good," he said. "At first, my ankles hurt, but now my body is used to it. Pursuit is the key. Just consistently going. That's one of the things I struggled with early. It's important to go and then finish by tackling.
"Being a smaller guy, it's important for me to be physical. Blitzing is something I have a lot of success with this camp."
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