Rome Odunze and the prolific receiving corps behind Washington’s offense
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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones will undergo surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season, the team announced.
Jones, who was slated to be the team’s No. 2 starter this season, has been on the injury list with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. His recovery was trending in the right direction before a setback last week in which he felt discomfort while doing long tosses (100 feet).
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Jones, 23, visited elbow surgeon Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and made the decision to proceed with the surgery. A time frame for Jones’ return has yet to be established.
Jones went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts during his rookie season in 2024, though he did miss time because of a lat injury.
Pittsburgh had hoped Jones would be featured near the top of the rotation, along with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes and veteran Mitch Keller.
Tomczyk said surgery was one of the options presented to Jones at the time of the injury, but Jones, with the support of the club and other medical experts, opted for rehab to give him a “fighting chance” to pitch in 2025.
Jones was shut down for six weeks, then began throwing from 60 feet in late April without issue. It wasn’t until the program was extended to 100 feet that Jones felt discomfort.
First baseman Enmanuel Valdez will also miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left shoulder.
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
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Greg Wyshynski
Four teams remain in the race for the Stanley Cup. The race for most valuable player of the NHL postseason is a bit more crowded.
Here’s the latest Conn Smythe Watch for the 2025 postseason. We asked over two dozen national writers and beat writers who are covering the conference finals for their top three MVP candidates after two rounds of play. Ballots were collected and tabulated before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Keep in mind that in the NHL, the Conn Smythe is based on a player’s performance during the entire postseason, not only the championship round. The award is voted on by an 18-person panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members.
The current MVP leader
For the second straight round, Rantanen leads the Conn Smythe Watch as he helped lead the Dallas Stars to their third straight conference finals. Through 13 postseason games, he leads all playoff scorers with 19 points, including a playoff-best nine goals.
Rantanen was the only player to appear on every ballot we surveyed from the writers. Only two voters had him anywhere but first place for the Conn Smythe — one national writer had him second, and a beat writer had Rantanen third on their ballot.
As Dallas coach Peter DeBoer put it: Rantanen is playing as if he’s “on a mission.” He was a one-man wrecking crew against his old teammates from Colorado, the team that traded him earlier this season rather than sign him to a contract extension. He did more damage against the Winnipeg Jets in the second round with a Game 1 hat trick on the road.
Rantanen cooled off a little bit later in the series, with one assist in the last three games of the series. But his accomplishments to that point made him the clear MVP in the eyes of our panelists. He’s the first player in NHL history with five three-point games through a team’s first 10 playoff games in a single postseason. He set another NHL record by either scoring or assisting on 13 consecutive goals by his team. At one point, Rantanen had factored in on 15 of 16 goals for Dallas.
One voter noted that the “crazy solo efforts he has had in a couple of games” makes him an obvious choice.
Or as another voter put it: “It’s almost hard to believe the dominance he’s displayed.”
One thing to consider about Rantanen: He has the narrative. The “revenge tour” against the Avalanche in the first round was part of a larger story about proving he’s worth his big new contract with Dallas and that he can thrive as an offensive star without Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar on his team.
“When you think about his journey this year, he’s been through a lot,” DeBoer said. “There’s been a lot written about him. There’s been a lot said about him. There’s been a lot of doubters out there.”
So far, Rantanen has silenced them.
1:03
Kevin Weekes’ players to watch in ‘epic’ Oilers-Stars showdown
Kevin Weekes lays out what to expect from the Western Conference finals rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars.
The other favorites
This is where we need to reiterate that the ballot tabulation was done before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Andersen was the clear second choice among voters before he faced the Panthers. He was voted second for playoff MVP on 47% of the ballots we surveyed.
Before Game 1, he had allowed only 12 goals in nine games for a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average. “His stats are mind-blowing when you think about how good Washington’s offense should have been in that series,” one voter said.
After giving up five goals on 20 shots to Florida in Carolina’s Game 1 loss — not all of them his fault entirely — Andersen’s save percentage dropped to .919 while his goals-against average rose to 1.74.
It’s possible that Andersen and Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will see their spots in this ranking flip during the series. But it was only one game, and Andersen’s numbers at home before that loss to the Panthers were quite good.
McDavid was also in the top three in the last round. In the 2024 postseason, the Edmonton star became only the second player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, as the Oilers fell in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers. Now, he’s trying to become the fourth player ever — and the first player since Sidney Crosby (2016-17) — to win consecutive Conn Smythe trophies.
Through 11 games, McDavid has 17 points (three goals, 14 assists). His 1.55 points-per-game average leads all players still active in the postseason. Through 11 games last season, McDavid had 21 points. But that has been one of the things that defined this Oilers’ run to the conference finals: They haven’t needed McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to drag them there on their own. Perhaps that has been reflected in the voting.
For what it’s worth, McDavid is the favorite to win the Conn Smythe on ESPN BET, at +325, ahead of Rantanen (+350) as of Tuesday night.
1:46
Jake Oettinger: McDavid will go down as the best player of all time
Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger joins “SportsCenter” to preview Dallas’ series against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
Making their cases
These two players received the next highest number of votes outside the top three.
It was notable that one beat writer had Oettinger first overall on their ballot, with Rantanen third. That might be a little bit of recency bias: Rantanen did most of his damage at the end of the first round and early in the second, and Oettinger was a difference-maker in all four of the Stars’ wins against Winnipeg, including Game 7, when he stopped 22 of 23 shots. As dominant as Rantanen was in Game 7 against the Avalanche in the first round, Oettinger made 25 saves and was brilliant late in that elimination game to preserve the win.
Overall, Oettinger has a .919 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average in 13 games for Dallas. But he has some work to do: The Stars goalie appeared on only three ballots in total, with one first- and two second-place votes.
Draisaitl is right behind McDavid in scoring with five goals and 11 assists in 11 games for the Oilers. He made the top three on four ballots, with two second-place and two third-place votes.
In his favor are two overtime goals: in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round to even their series, and then in Game 2 in Las Vegas to give the Oilers a 2-0 series lead. He also had the primary assist on Kasperi Kapanen‘s series-clinching goal in Game 5 against Vegas.
Those moments more than balance one of the lowest points of Draisaitl’s postseason, when Reilly Smith of the Golden Knights scored with 0.4 left in Game 3 on a shot that deflected off of Draisaitl’s stick.
One thing to remember with Draisaitl’s MVP case is the praise he’s receiving for his two-way game. As the Oilers have become one of the best defensive teams in the postseason, posting back-to-back shutouts to end the Golden Knights, Draisaitl could get a portion of the credit.
“You often think of those guys who are putting up a lot of points, they neglect the defensive responsibilities,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said before the conference finals. “Leon has never neglected his defensive responsibilities. In fact, if I was to show clips on how to backcheck and how to work, getting above the opposition, Leon would be the leading guy on all the clips that I can find, and he’s the one who does it the best.”
On the cusp
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers
Some Panthers finally make the list! In fairness, that’s a tribute to the balance and depth that Florida has shown through two rounds. The team had 11 players with at least six points through their series win against the Leafs.
Bobrovsky didn’t have stellar numbers entering the conference final (.901 save percentage) thanks to four games in which he gave up four-plus goals. But Playoff Bob has emerged when he’s needed — like in the last four games of the Maple Leafs series and in Game 1 against Carolina, where he might have been the difference in that 5-2 win.
“I try to stay with one moment and not try not to think about the future or past,” he said after Game 1. “So it’s one moment, one save at a time. And that’s pretty much it.”
Marchand was tied for the team lead in points (12) after two rounds, and really made a statement in the MVP race with his Game 7 dagger against Toronto. He also had a critical Game 3 overtime winner after the Leafs took a 2-0 lead in the series.
Both Marchand and Bobrovsky showed up on two ballots. Bobrovsky earned one second-place vote.
Svechnikov was also on two ballots, both third-place votes. The Hurricanes winger was second in the postseason with eight goals after two rounds.
Slavin had two goals and two assists in 10 games, including the overtime winner in Game 1 against the Capitals. He has had an outstanding season, including a much-lauded performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA. He also earned a ringing endorsement from Capitals coach Spencer Carbery after Carolina eliminated Washington. “How he’s not in the Norris Trophy conversation every single year, it doesn’t seem right,” the coach said. “He’s one heck of a player.”
Honorable mentions
Seth Jones, Florida Panthers
Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
Jones has been really strong for the Panthers, especially in their Game 7 win in Toronto. Through two rounds, Luostarinen was tied with his linemate Marchand for the team lead with 12 points, but now leads the team with 13 points after his Game 1 goal against Carolina — remarkably, his 12th point in eight road playoff games.
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