Polk Runs Crisp Route as UW Football Team Leader
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When we last saw the University of Washington football team, it had finished up a high-energy if not overly rowdy third spring practice, and loud voices were heard coming from players gathered around coach Kalen DeBoer in Dempsey Indoor.
One of those expressing himself without any prompting was Ja'Lynn Polk, a wide receiver who clearly views himself as a leader for this group.
DeBoer relayed how Polk, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophomore from Lufkin, Texas, and sixth-year senior edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui stood out among others in offering unifying words to their teammates.
Polk, in particular, merits attention because he's still so young in terms of eligibility, with three seasons left to play for the Huskies if he so chooses.
He also shares the spotlight as a big-play UW pass-catcher in what is one of the most competitive college football position groups found anywhere.
He starts alongside All-Pac-12 first-teamer Rome Odunze and leading UW receiver Jalen McMillan, carving out his own space and stepping up when needed.
DeBoer previously has singled out Polk as one of the hardest-working, most-committed players he has, often arriving before everyone else during break-of-dawn hours to get started in Montlake.
The receiver initially showed himself to be his own man by transferring out of Texas Tech after a fairly solid freshman season simply because he wanted something better or different.
In 2021, Polk earned the immediate respect of his UW teammates by showing himself to be an extra-tough Texan following his first play in Montlake.
On the initial snap of the Montana season opener, Polk caught a pass over the middle, took a hit and suffered a broken collarbone. Yet he kept playing for a few more downs before realizing something was really wrong — and then he headed across the street to the UW Medical Center for surgery.
Done for the season? Hardly.
Polk healed up and was back on the field by game 11 that season at Colorado, rejoining the Huskies at the same time UW coach Jimmy Lake went from being suspended to fired.
In Boulder, Polk not only rejoined the huddle but he caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Morris late in the fourth quarter of a 20-17 loss.
This past season, Polk, working out of the slot, didn't quite have the 1,000-yard receiving numbers that Odunze and McMillan did, but he came up with a heady 41 catches for 694 yards and 6 touchdowns.
When Michigan State turned its secondary emphasis to focus on the other two, Polk came up with 6 catches for 153 yards and TD receptions of 8, 17 and 53 yards in the UW's 39-28 victory.
Against Oregon, Polk was on the receiving end of a 76-yard receiving strike in the second half that enabled the Huskies to emerge with a 37-34 signature win in Eugene.
In this coming season, if he happened to match or exceed the statistical output of Odunze and/or McMillan, no one would be surprised at all.
Yet Polk will go about his business in keeping defenses honest before likely becoming the Huskies' No. 1 passing target in 2024 and 2025.
Meantime, this motivated wide receiver from the Lone Star state will assume a prominent UW leadership role without hesitation, knowing his team needs him.
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