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NEW ORLEANS — At this time a year ago, Washington receiver Rome Odunze‘s immediate future was unclear. After an incredible junior season in which he was named an All-American and was part of one of the best receiving corps in college football, the polished Las Vegas native would have been justified in calling his time at Washington a success and heading to the NFL.

It was tempting — here was his chance to opt into life-changing money and realize a longtime goal — but he wanted to be deliberate. As he weighed the decision in the month following the regular season, a clearer picture of what 2023 would look like emerged, starting with quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s pledge to return. Seven other key contributors followed suit.

“I was going over everything I could, calculating everything I could,” Odunze told ESPN. “Talking with my family, with my dad, who is heavily involved in that as well.”

But in the back of his mind, he kept returning to one thought.

“I’ll be coming back with Penix.”

On Jan. 12 last year, four days before the deadline for underclassmen to enter the NFL draft, Odunze went with his heart, announcing he would return to UW.

Helping UW to a third national title in school history is a goal Odunze has never shied away from. As a high school prospect, his commitment announcement on social media included the phrase #NattyOTW (national title on the way). In January 2022, when he decided to remain in Seattle after Kalen DeBoer was hired as the head coach, there it was again.

“My goals and aspirations remain the same! To win a national championship at the University of Washington,” he said in the post.

In no small part due to the performance of Odunze and UW’s other receivers, the Huskies are a win away from achieving what Odunze set out to do.


THERE’S A CERTAIN level of anonymity that comes with playing on the West Coast in a sport in which so much of the focus is on the teams and conferences that have dominated the playoff since its inception in 2014, namely, not the Pac-12. While that dynamic has been a source of frustration in the conference for years, it also made the ease with which Penix carved up Texas‘ secondary in the College Football Playoff semifinal last week even more satisfying for those who felt slighted.

“Because they always treat us as an underdog,” said receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. “Turn on the film, man, and nothing lies. Nothing lies.”

The film Michigan is scouring over in preparation for Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game in Houston (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) will show that Penix completed 19 of 21 passes to his receivers — not including tight ends and running backs — for 353 yards and two touchdowns. On one of the biggest stages the sport has to offer, Washington’s receivers got separation like it was a summertime 7-on-7 drill. And when they didn’t, Penix’s pinpoint precision made sure it didn’t matter.

In the locker room after the game, Polk, who caught five passes for 122 yards, was asked if this was the most dialed in Penix has ever been.

“He’s like that 24/7, every day,” Polk said. “So that’s nothing new to us.”

But it’s not just Penix. The Huskies’ receiving corps has also been all-in since Ryan Grubb joined the program as the offensive coordinator.

Upon moving to Washington with DeBoer from Fresno State after the 2021 season, Grubb noted in his early roster evaluation how well Odunze, Polk and Jalen McMillan complemented each other. The production wasn’t there on a team that went 4-8, but, for Grubb, it was enticing to think about what it would be like calling plays with this diversity of talent.

For that to happen, he needed them to buy into his vision.

“Rome, J-Mac and J.P. all were in the transfer portal or talking about transferring basically in the first week I was here,” Grubb said. “It’s just me and Kalen. Nobody else is here yet [on the offensive staff]. So, my first 10 days, all I did was watch film with those three guys and try to convince them on the reasons to stay.”

Not only did Grubb’s visions for each player help retain them, but they have played out exactly how he told them they would over the past two seasons and, more specifically, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

To Odunze: “You’re the big stretch-the-field guy, but guess what? We also use you to run option routes and in between hooks this way. And then we’re also going to have a way, because you’re strong with the ball in your hands, to get you screens.”

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0:32

Rome Odunze makes over-the-shoulder grab for Washington

Michael Penix Jr. tosses the ball downfield to Rome Odunze, who makes an over-the-shoulder catch for Washington.

To Polk: “You’re the route runner, you’re the Z, you’re the pure route runner. You’re the guy running the great curls and banging in the windows, you’re getting outside fade balls.”

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1:02

Ja’Lynn Polk’s 77-yard catch sets up Washington TD

Michael Penix Jr. connects with Ja’Lynn Polk for a 77-yard gain, leading to a Dillon Johnson score for Washington.

To McMillan: “You’re the slot guy. You’re the separator.”

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0:38

Penix threads the needle to McMillan for Washington score

Michael Penix Jr. lasers a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan to give Washington the lead again.

The trio of receivers has been as good as any in the country this season. They have combined on 191 catches for 3,201 yards and 26 touchdowns, and all that’s left is a shot at the national title, exactly what Odunze has been eyeing his whole career.


MCMILLAN’S CONTRIBUTIONS IN the Pac-12 title game (9 catches, 131 yards) and semifinal (5 catches, 58 yards) have been a significant development since he was slowed — or unavailable — for weeks after suffering a knee injury against Michigan State in the third game of the season. Last season, he led the team with 79 catches and ranked second, behind Odunze, with 1,098 receiving yards.

His absence coincided with a period when the Huskies lost some of their explosiveness. They’ve averaged 433.4 passing yards in the six games in which he’s made at least one catch, but it has dropped to 307.8 passing yards in games in which he was either held without a catch or did not play.

Receiver Germie Bernard (34 catches, 419 yards), a transfer from Michigan, and tight end Jack Westover (41 catches, 391 yards) have also been reliable options in the passing game. Passes intended for both players — not just from Penix — have been completed at an 81.5% clip.

But through it all, Odunze has been the go-to guy. The Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist’s 1,553 receiving yards rank No. 2 in the country behind LSU‘s Malik Nabers (1,569) and are the third most in a single season in Pac-12 history. Currently No. 5 on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, he almost assuredly will be a first-round pick.

“I say this to everyone. Rome is a 10-year pro,” Grubb said earlier this year. “I just don’t mean he catches really well — he could probably run for president, too. Responsible, tough, smart, personable. He’s the guy.”

Nothing would go further toward proving his worth than a standout performance against Michigan.

The Wolverines have allowed just 10.2 points per game this season and they have more than twice as many interceptions (16) than touchdown passes allowed (7). Opposing quarterbacks have managed a dismal combined QBR of 28.4 — Penix’s is 85.7 — and only Ohio State‘s Kyle McCord and Maryland‘s Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 200 yards in a game.

For Washington, though, the approach remains the same as it did early in the year.

“I think the team just has a confidence and kind of a swagger about us that provided us to go out there and have a mentality that we’re not trying to prove anybody wrong at this point,” Odunze said. “We just continue to prove to ourselves that we are who we think we are.”

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Sources: Knights land Marner, give star 8 years

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Sources: Knights land Marner, give star 8 years

Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights — with an eight-year extension in place, sources told ESPN on Monday. Forward Nicolas Roy will go to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return.

Marner’s new deal has a $12 million average annual value, according to sources. Marner, 28, was the biggest name entering Tuesday’s NHL free agency, and multiple teams were hoping to make pitches. Marner was the NHL’s fifth-leading scorer last season with 102 points — 36 more than the next-closest free agent. The winger was drafted by his hometown Maple Leafs with the No. 4 pick in 2015.

The Maple Leafs knew that Marner was looking to test free agency at the end of the season. Over the past few days, Toronto worked with Vegas, which was Marner’s preferred destination, on a trade. The Maple Leafs held Marner’s rights until just before midnight Tuesday.

Had Marner become an unrestricted free agent, he couldn’t have signed a deal for more than seven years.

Marner finished a six-year deal that paid him $10.9 million annually. Marner, who played for Team Canada at Four Nations and likely will make their Olympic team, has 221 goals and 741 points in nine NHL seasons.

Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has stayed busy this week, re-signing John Tavares and Matthew Knies while trading for Utah forward Matias Maccelli earlier Monday.

Roy, 28, is a center who is entering Year 4 of a five-year deal that pays him $3 million annually.

Ahead of the Marner trade, the Golden Knights created cap space by sending defenseman Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators on Monday.

The deal makes Marner the highest-paid player on Vegas, however, center Jack Eichel ($10 million AAV) is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension this summer. The Golden Knights might not be done this offseason. According to sources, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is expected to go on long-term injured reserve, which could create more flexibility.

Sign-and-trades ahead of free agency are becoming a trend for NHL teams that know they will not sign their coveted player; last season, the Carolina Hurricanes dealt Jake Guentzel‘s rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning before he signed a seven-year deal.

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Sources: Panthers keeping Marchand, Ekblad

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Sources: Panthers keeping Marchand, Ekblad

Hours after re-signing Aaron Ekblad, the Florida Panthers kept another integral piece of their Stanley Cup team by re-signing Brad Marchand to a six-year contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.

Marchand’s deal has an average annual value of $5.25 million, sources told Kaplan.

Coming to terms with Ekblad on an eight-year extension worth $6.1 million annually left the Panthers with what PuckPedia projected to be $4.9 million in salary cap space.

There was the possibility that Marchand, 37, could have left the Panthers for a more lucrative offer elsewhere considering there were teams that had more than enough cap space to sign him.

Instead? Marchand, who arrived ahead of the NHL trade deadline from the Boston Bruins, appears as if he will remain in South Florida for the rest of his career.

Acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks and then adding Marchand were two decisions made by Panthers general manager Bill Zito with the intent of seeing the Panthers win a second consecutive Stanley Cup as part of a run that now has included three straight Cup Final appearances.

Marchand, who was a pending UFA entering the final day before free agency begins Tuesday, used the 2025 postseason to further cement why the Panthers and other teams throughout the NHL would still seek his services. He scored 10 goals and finished with 20 points in 23 playoff games.

For all the contributions he made, his greatest came during the Cup Final series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Marchand, who previously won a Cup with the Bruins back in 2011, opened the series with a goal in the first three games. That includes the two goals he scored in the Panthers’ 5-4 double-overtime win to tie the series with his second being the game-winning salvo.

He scored two more goals in a 5-2 win in Game 5 that allowed the Panthers to take a 3-1 series lead before returning to Sunrise, Florida, where they closed out the series with an emphatic 5-1 win.

Capturing a consecutive title created questions about whether the Panthers can win a third in a row. But there was the understanding that it might be difficult given there was only so much salary cap space to re-sign Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett, Ekblad and Marchand.

Knowing there was a chance they could lose one, or more, of them, Zito laid the foundation to retain the trio. He began by signing Bennett to an eight-year contract worth $8 million annually on June 27 before using Monday to sign Ekblad and Marchand.

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Sources: Provorov nets 7-year deal from Jackets

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Sources: Provorov nets 7-year deal from Jackets

Ivan Provorov decided to forgo free agency, with the veteran defenseman finalizing a seven-year extension Monday worth $8.5 million annually to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets, sources told ESPN, confirming earlier reports.

With free agency slated to start Tuesday, the 28-year-old was one of the most notable defenseman who had a chance to hit the open market.

Provorov’s decision to stay with the Blue Jackets comes shortly after it was reported that Aaron Ekblad also avoided free agency by agreeing to an eight-year extension to remain with the Florida Panthers. That now leaves players such as Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Lindgren, and Dmitry Orlov among the more prominent pending UFAs who could be available should they fail to strike a deal with their current teams.

Retaining Provorov comes months after a season that witnessed the Blue Jackets shed the title of being a rebuilding franchise to one that could challenge for the playoffs in 2025-26.

Four consecutive seasons without the playoffs created the idea that the 2024-25 campaign could be another challenging one. But a six-game winning streak in January saw Columbus post a 22-17-6 record to create the belief that a turnaround could be in order.

The Jackets closed the season with another six-game winning streak but fell short of the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot, which went to the Montreal Canadiens by two points.

Provorov would finish with seven goals and 33 points in 82 games while his 23 minutes, 21 seconds in average ice time was second behind Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski.

Re-signing Provorov comes in an offseason that saw the Blue Jackets also strengthen their bottom-six forward corps by adding Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche.

PuckPedia projects that the Blue Jackets now have $20.957 million in cap space ahead of free agency.

TSN was first to report news of Provorov’s decision.

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