Northern Colorado football defensive back, 24, is known as ‘Unc’ to teammates
Around the Northern Colorado football program, Darrell Bryant Jr. is known as "Unc."
That's short for "uncle," meaning Bryant is "old." Bryant is old compared to many of his teammates.
The first-year sophomore safety is 24, an Army veteran now studying sports administration, and he's been a dominant and durable presence for the Bears this season.
Bryant Jr.'s age, though, doesn't allow for guys to call him by his given name.
" 'Darrell' is not a thing," Bryant said this week. "It's all 'Unc.' I kind of embrace the name. Being in their shoes, it's like, 'Dang, he is 24.' Most of them say, 'You're my older brother's age.' "
Bryant is fourth on the team in tackles with 49 heading into the final home game of the season. The Bears, 1-5 Big Sky and 1-9 overall, host Northern Arizona at noon Saturday at Nottingham Field.
UNC assistant coach JB Hall Jr. said Bryant provides a stability to the defensive secondary — both in how he relates to and with other guys in the position group and on the field.
"He's very, very mature, and that is awesome for our room in regards to teaching, learning, training, being an extra coach on the field," said Hall Jr., who coaches safeties and is the pass game coordinator. "He has an excellent knack of finding the football. He's a very natural football player."
Hall said Bryant's natural physical skills on the field show up in his ability to stay low to the ground, and to keep his hips and legs underneath him, giving Bryant balance.
Bryant is a strong safety in the defensive backfield. The position requires players to do a lot. They're covering the run and the pass with a lean toward playing the run near the line of scrimmage.
"He just knows how to play," Hall added.
Bryant served as an infantryman in the Army from 2019-23, and one of his duty stations was at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs. He was honored earlier this week at a UNC women's basketball game. The women hosted Air Force Academy on Monday evening, Veterans Day.
Bryant and the Bears football team host Northern Arizona at noon Saturday at Nottingham Field in the final home game of the season. The theme of the game is senior day and salute to service. Thirteen seniors will be honored, UNC coach Ed Lamb said. Two of those athletes, defensive lineman David Hoage and offensive lineman Isaias Sierra, have an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Hoage and Sierra completed their undergraduate degrees.
Veterans Day is observed yearly on Nov. 11. The day honors the service of all military veterans, and it's a day of celebration. Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, is a solemn day remembering those who died in military service.
Bryant said the public acknowledgements of Veterans Day and honoring service men and women are meaningful for him. He said he received a lot of texts on Monday, including from teammates.
"The time in the Army, it's a wonderful time, a great experience," Bryant said. "Even when you get out, you're still a part of that brotherhood. It's just kind of a great feeling, I should say, that people worldwide actually care about the veteran."
Bryant is from Hampton, Virginia. He is the eldest of seven children. Bryant's youngest sibling is 2 years old.
Bryant went to James Madison University out of high school in 2018. The year didn't go well for him. He didn't play for the Dukes, and he said the experience was a shocking one.
"I don't think I was disciplined enough at the time," Bryant said. "I had a lot of learning to do, and so that year didn't really go too well for me."
He came home in spring 2019 and told his parents he was going into the Army. The military was always his back-up plan to football.
Bryant enlisted knowing he wanted to return to college football when his service obligation ended. Bryant went to Western Colorado University in Gunnison for the 2023 season. He didn't see any game action for the Division II Mountaineers. Bryant entered the transfer portal and contacted UNC defensive coordinator Preston Hadley.
Bryant knew Hadley from a football camp he attended at UNC while in the military. Bryant played semi-pro football with the Colorado Longhorns and the Colorado Flames of the Colorado Football Conference during his service.
The Colorado Football Conference is a nonprofit and semi-pro league including the Northern Nightmare based at District 6 Stadium in Greeley.
Bryant said he came to UNC because he wanted to play at a higher level of college football and he wanted to play for Hadley. Bryant has two years of eligibility remaining with the Bears, and plans to use both seasons in Greeley.
He is attending school on the G.I. Bill, which is a federal program providing a variety of assistance and benefits to military veterans.
"Talking to coach Hadley, he seemed to be a football guy," Bryant said. "And even outside of football, they just care about you. I wanted to be part of something like that. I wanted to be a part of helping build a program."
