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.”
play
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.”
play
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.”
play
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.”
Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
BYU landed the program’s highest-ranked pledge since at least 2006 on Monday when four-star tight end Brock Harris, ESPN’s No. 33 overall recruit and the No. 1 player in the state of Utah, announced his commitment to coach Kalani Sitake and the Cougars.
Harris, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound prospect from Saint George, Utah, is ESPN’s fourth-ranked tight end in the 2026 class. He chose BYU over Michigan, Georgia, Miami, Oregon and Utah following multiple trips to all six schools over the past year prior to Harris’ announcement at Pine View (Utah) High School on Monday afternoon. He lands with the Cougars as the lone ESPN 300 pledge among five prospects currently committed to the program’s 2026 class.
The son of a former BYU baseball player, Harris attracted heavy Power 4 interest and took an extensive number of visits throughout his process — most recently to Michigan in late March — before opting to remain in his home state with BYU.
Harris previously told ESPN that his connection with the program’s coaching staff began after he first attended a BYU prospect camp in the eighth grade. Those ties were ultimately strong enough for the Cougars to fend off national powers like Georgia, Oregon and Michigan for the coveted tight end recruit who grew up roughly 260 miles southwest of campus.
A standout route runner for his size, Harris projects to be a versatile hybrid tight end at the college level, equipped with sharp blocking ability but also elite pass-catching traits that could allow him to become a dangerous downfield target. Harris, who has hauled in 118 passes for 1,678 yards and 21 touchdowns across three varsity seasons, will join a thin and unseasoned BYU tight ends room in 2026 with Cougars tight ends Carsen Ryan and Ethan Erickson both out of eligibility following the 2025 season.
Harris will become BYU’s highest-ranked high school addition in the ESPN recruiting era (since 2006) and only the program’s seventh top 300 pledge in that span if he signs with the Cougars later this year. He joins three-star tight Ty Goettsche, cornerback Justice Brathwaite and a pair of in-state prospects in quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne and outside linebacker Penisimani Takitaki among the early commits to BYU’s upcoming recruiting class.
Harris is now the second pledge among the eight tight ends ranked inside ESPN’s top 150 prospect in 2026, joining five-star Oregon pledge Kendre’ Harrison (No. 11 in the ESPN 300), who committed to the Ducks this past November.
After missing out on Harris, Georgia remains heavily involved in the recruitments of five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro (No. 19) and Mark Bowman (No. 24). Oregon is another program in the mix for Bowman, who reclassified from the 2027 cycle earlier this year, and could still rejoin the race for Ian Premer (No. 60). Former Texas A&M pledge Xavier Tiller (No. 83) is set for official visits later this spring with Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and USC. Four-star tight end Mack Sutter (No. 138) has narrowed his recruitment to Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Penn State and will take officials with each program from April 11 to June 20.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska receiver Hardley Gilmore IV, who transferred from Kentucky in January, has been dismissed from the team, coach Matt Rhule announced Saturday.
The second-year player from Belle Glade, Florida, had come to Nebraska along with former Kentucky teammate Dane Key and receivers coach Daikiel Shorts Jr. and had received praise from teammates and coaches for his performance in spring practice.
Rhule did not disclose a reason for removing Gilmore.
“Nothing outside the program, nothing criminal or anything like that,” Rhule said. “Just won’t be with us anymore.”
Gilmore was charged with misdemeanor assault in December for allegedly punching someone in the face at a storage facility in Lexington, Kentucky, the Lexington Herald Leader reported on Jan. 2.
Gilmore played in seven games as a freshman for the Wildcats and caught six passes for 153 yards. He started against Murray State and caught a 52-yard touchdown pass on Kentucky’s opening possession. He was a consensus four-star recruit who originally chose Kentucky over Penn State and UCF.
OAKLAND, Calif. — A multibillion-dollar legal settlement with the potential to reshape the business of college sports inched closer to its fast-approaching finish line during a federal court hearing Monday.
Judge Claudia Wilken declined to provide final approval of a deal between the NCAA and plaintiff attorneys representing past, present and future Division I athletes, but she directed lawyers to address a short list of her remaining concerns within one week.
“I think it’s a good settlement,” Wilken said while wrapping up the seven-hour hearing, before quickly adding, “Don’t quote me.”
The NCAA has agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to past and current athletes to settle three federal antitrust lawsuits that claim the association’s rules have limited the athletes’ earning potential in various ways. The deal, commonly referred to as the House settlement after lead plaintiff Grant House, also would create a new system for schools to pay players directly, starting this summer.
In exchange, the NCAA will be allowed to limit how much each school can spend on its athletes per year — an effective salary cap that is expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school and increase annually during the 10-year lifespan of the deal. The deal also gives the industry’s most powerful conferences an increased ability to police the name, image and likeness deals between athletes and boosters, which is intended to keep teams from using their boosters to circumvent the $20.5 million cap.
Wilken, who has ruled on several cases that have reshaped the NCAA’s rules in the past decade, specifically asked lawyers from both sides to rethink one provision that would place a limit on how many athletes could be on a school’s roster for each sport and to provide more details on how future athletes could object to the terms of the deals once they enroll in college.
Several objectors who spoke Monday asked Wilken to reject the settlement because it could lead to the elimination of thousands of roster spots on Division I teams across the country. The NCAA’s current rules place limits on the number of scholarships that each team can give to its players. That rule will go away if the settlement is approved, meaning a school can provide a full scholarship to every one of its athletes if it chooses to do so.
To keep the wealthiest schools from stockpiling talent, the NCAA has proposed to instead limit the number of players each team can keep on its roster. Many teams will have to cut current athletes from their rosters to comply with the new rule if the settlement is approved. Gannon Flynn, a freshman swimmer at the University of Utah who spoke at the hearing, said his coaches told him that he will not have a spot on the team next season specifically because of the settlement.
“We’re not here for money. We just want to play and compete,” Flynn told the judge. “On paper, this settlement might look good … but thousands of people are losing their spots.”
Wilken suggested Monday that any current athlete should get to keep their spot even if it puts a team over the new roster limit.
“My idea there is to grandfather in a group of rostered people. There are not that many. It’s not that expensive. It would generate a lot of goodwill,” Wilken said.
Judges are not allowed to mandate specific changes to a settlement, but Wilken can make suggestions for how the attorneys could resolve problems that might otherwise keep her from blessing the deal.
“We are standing by our settlement. We think it’s fair. If the NCAA wants to grandfather it in, that’s up to them,” said Steve Berman, one of two co-lead attorneys for the plaintiffs.
Attorney Rakesh Kilaru, lead counsel for the NCAA, said he needed to speak to his clients about any potential change to the roster limit terms, but he remained optimistic the settlement would be approved.
Other objectors on Monday raised concerns that the $2.8 billion in damages were being divvied up in a way that is unfair to women athletes. Men, especially football and basketball players, are expected to receive at least 90% of the damages payments.
Others argued that the settlement creates a new antitrust violation by capping how much each school can spend on athletes. Professional sports leagues set legal salary caps by negotiating those limits in a collective bargaining agreement with a players’ union. Wilken said that while a collective bargaining agreement “might be a great idea,” the case in front of her did not give her the authority to rule on whether athletes should be able to negotiate in that fashion.
Berman said he is hopeful that it will take only a few more weeks for Wilken to grant final approval to the deal. Schools are planning to begin paying their players directly in July. Fellow plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler said he is confident Wilken will make her ruling in plenty of time to keep the plans to pay athletes this year on track.