Linebacker mentality makes Goodyear's Bryant elite running back

By Richard Smith
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A junior that ranked third in Arizona in rushing yards and touchdowns last year is not only OK with less carries this season.

Millennium senior D’Mari Bryant asked to play outside linebacker — once again.

“Playing defense is something I’ve always done since youth football,” Bryant said. “I’ve been asking to do it since my sophomore year, so I’m glad it’s finally happened.”

This year, Tigers Coach Lamar Early was in a situation that he could say yes.

Bryant has 10 total tackles in spot defensive duty at the season’s midpoint.

“As a freshman I always said he was a running back. We always had the argument that he was a linebacker. If you watch him run and how physical he is, he reminds you of a linebacker,” Early said. “His sophomore year I sat him down and said, ‘This is where you’re going to school at.’”

Early was correct. Bryant verbally committed this summer to play for Idaho.

He has 67 carries in six games, 48 less than at the same point last year. It has not hurt the numbers for Bryant, who is coming off 150 yards on eight carries against Verrado.

Bryant is once again close to 16 yards per carry, and his 15.9 average is still a noticeable jump from 11.4 yards a carry through five games last year.

“This year we have two offensive coordinators. I’m getting the ball a lot less, which is opening the passing game more and opening up the offense, making it more balanced,” Bryant said.

Millennium is 5-0 and its closest game was a 28-point win over Cactus.

It is uncharted territory for the class of 2026. Almost all of that freshman class arriving in 2023 is leading the varsity as seniors.

“We haven’t had anyone leave or transfer out. We’ve all stayed together. Now we’re a big senior class that’s starting or making a big impact,” Bryant said. “We have a team built from the ground up, instead of everybody leaving or taking in everybody.”

They absorbed a 3-7 season as sophomores, then reversed course at 7-4 last season, though a bitter first-round playoff loss against Yuma Catholic is motivating the now seniors.

While the 2,000-yard season made the state take notice, the bigger-name Division I schools did not offer him.

Bryant’s commitment to Idaho cleared his head a bit

“I came into this season planning to prove everybody wrong — coaches, schools people, even myself,” Bryant said. “Last season I was pretty frustrated. Honestly, I was like, ‘I’m a 2,000-yard rusher with 30 touchdowns. Why aren’t the schools offering me? Why aren’t they talking to me?’ I feel like I don’t have to worry about any of that anymore, So it’s been good.”

His physicality stands out, Early said.

The coach kept hearing Bryant is not explosive enough and lacks track speed.

“I looked at it all as a bunch of excuses. But we also in the offseason focused on that. He ran a 4.4 three times in the offseason. He ran in the 11s in track. What else do you want from him? He’s not big enough. We had that. He’s 195 pounds.”

So far, so good. Bryant’s 12 touchdowns include runs of 96, 71, 57 and 52 yards.

“The main thing I wanted to improve was my speed, because I feel like I had a lot of runs that if I was faster, I could have broke more. A lot of colleges coaches in recruiting complained about my speed. Which I always felt like I was a pretty fast guy,” Bryant said. “But since I worked on I worked on it this offseason and I got better at it.”

The arrival of transfer quarterback Myron Lee from Cactus and the growth of seniors Kadin Johnson and Kasan Rouzan-Franklin into downfield receiving threats means opponents cannot stack eight players in the box as often.

Early said Johnson, Rouzan-Franklin and Lee are benefiting when opponents overload against the run.

“They’re loading the box on them. He’s got 59 carries and almost 1,000 yards,” Early said. “His body’s fresh. He’s got a big weight lifted in that he knows he’s going to play D1 football.”

Bryant has looked faster and more explosive in the non-league schedule than a year ago. As with 2025, his vision sets him apart from most backs.

He said running back is mostly an instinct-based position. But backs need to be mentally prepared enough to make the right pre-snap reads.

“At some point everybody’s an athlete. So you’ve got to use your IQ and skill set to separate yourself,” Bryant said.

Millennium’s start and Bryant’s decreased workload open up the possibility for far more playoff carries than last season’s 21.

“He’s a very humble kid, He’s a great kid,” Early said. “He wants to play, and he wants to be on the field the whole time. We don’t play him every down, of course, but he got some looks on the defense and will continue the rest of the year.”

Early said Bryant used to be very quiet and workmanlike, but Bryant is very vocal now, in his last months of high school football.

“I feel a lot better. My body feels a lot fresher,” Bryant said.

Ultimately, he enjoyed the process. Idaho felt like home, and Bryant said he had productive talks on his campus visit.

He said he wants to major in kinesiology or exercise science in college.

“Idaho separated themselves by making it known that they wanted me there. I wasn’t just another player they were recruiting,” Bryant said.

Millennium is off to its best start in Early’s 10 years as a couple of younger transfers from Cactus gelled with the senior class.

This team reminds the coach of 2019, when his son, Jalan, led a large group of seniors. There is one difference.

The 2026 team has legitimate 5A title aspirations.

“They’re not my blood kids but I’ve seen them grow from little boys to young men. With how much they’ve invested into this program, you want it for them,” Early said. “Two years ago, when we went 3-7, we talked about it. They didn’t like that feeling. I didn’t have one bounce. In this day and age, I didn’t have one transfer. They stayed the course and are here still. That’s why I want it even more for them.”

Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps

rsmith@iniusa.org

Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.

An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.

For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.

As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.