Rome Odunze and the prolific receiving corps behind Washington’s offense

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.”

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.”

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

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.”