McMillan and Largent Don't Know Each Other, But They Should

They're the new and the old of Seattle pass-catching greatness.

One of Seattle's hottest young wide receivers was quizzed on Tuesday about the city's oldest and most revered pass-catcher, but the name didn't register to him right away.

It was just out of Jalen McMillan's reach, beyond his outstretched fingertips, like a Michael Penix Jr. deep ball with just a little too much oomph on it.

Upon further prodding, McMillan, the University of Washington's current jack of all offensive trades as someone fully capable of receiving, rushing, passing and returning, was only vaguely familiar with the great Steve Largent.

"Hopefully, I get to meet him and pick his brain," said McMillan, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound junior from Fresno, California.

The Seattle Seahawks' seven-time pro-bowler was brought up because McMillan and his UW teammates will host Tulsa, Largent's alma mater, on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

Largent, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, retired in 1989 — a full dozen years before McMillan was born — and held all major NFL receiving records, including most receptions in a career (819), most receiving yards in a career (13,089), and most touchdown receptions (100), and he walked away with a then-record streak of 177 consecutive regular-season games with a reception.

While from different generations, Largent and McMillan are more similar than people who have seen them both could imagine.

In a 56-17 victory over Boise State, McMillan caught two touchdown passes, ran for another, completed a pass and returned a pair of punts.

In his 14-year Seahawks career, the 5-foot-11, 187-pound Largent not only was a record-breaking receiver, he rushed 17 times for 83 yards and a score, returned 16 kickoffs and punts, and completed 2 of 7 passes for 29 yards. 

He came to Seattle after an All-America career at Tulsa, catching 28 touchdown passes over his final two seasons.

Largent had his No. 80 retired by the Seahawks and his No. 83 retired by Tulsa. Turning to politics, he served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before an unsuccessful run in 2002 to become Oklahoma governor.

"I'd love to meet him," McMillan reiterated.

For now, McMillan and Husky sidekick Rome Odunze will good-naturedly try to one-up each other as multi-purpose players capable of doing just about anything with a football in their hands their team needs while being unfailingly supportive of each other.

McMillan said the plan all along was he would be a versatile player and part of a high-powered offense when the Huskies recruited him.

"I came here knowing that Rome Odunze was going to be here and I came here knowing Sam Huard was going to be here," he said, referencing his fellow receiver and the former UW quarterback. "There was different elements of me coming here."

Against Boise State, McMillan took a direct snap in the Wildcat formation, essentially portraying a quarterback, faked a handoff to Odunze, who was simulating a running back, and took off for the end zone and scored from 19 yards out.

That's enough to make any opposing defense freak out when it sees the film.

"I think it just goes to show the depth in the receiving room; we have so many elements," McMillan said, naming off the other Huskies who do what he does. "You have everybody in the room who can do everything that you want, so you might as well use them for the best, right?"

That's exactly what the the Seahawks and Steve Largent did so long ago.

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