Some Deep-Thinking When It Comes to Ondunze This Season

OC Ryan Grubb christens him as the top long-ball threat.

The daily coaching chatter out of fall camp concerning University of Washington wide receivers has gone something like this.

JMac made a difficult catch today. Taj has really been attacking the ball. Nobody works harder than JP. Giles has really improved.

It seems as if everyone's pass-catching progress has been regularly updated in great detail throughout this season-countdown month of August except for one guy.

Rome Odunze.

Finally on Monday, Husky offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked if he had "an obvious, take-the-top-off-a-defense receiver" and and the coach didn't let his inquisitor even finish the question before he laid out an answer.

"Yes, Rome," Grubb said. 

It was almost how could you consider anyone else?

How could it not be the 6-foot-3, 201-pound sophomore from Las Vegas?

Odunze might be the player on the UW roster who's been the most taken for granted, regularly ignored when all-conference or national receiver listings come out yet bursting with talent, not always part of the football conversation. It's all been a matter of circumstances, not any questions surrounding his talent.

No, he hasn't been Reggie Williams coming out of the gate while coming off the line for the Huskies. The pandemic curtailed his true freshman season and limited him to one start against Stanford, but he provided a glimpse of his high-end ability with an often acrobatic 5-catch, 69-yard outing against the Cardinal.

Last season, Odunze missed the first three games of the season with a shoulder separation, before easing back in, starting seven times and leading the UW with 41 catches and scoring 3 times. 

Yes, modest numbers for sure. But the Huskies had a bad offense and you can't minimize the guy's talent level, which should be on full display as a deep threat like never before in the coming weeks. 

After all, he closed the spring preview with a last-play, 50-yard touchdown catch from Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr., offering a trailer to the movie release. 

This season should be a coming-out party for the big and fast receiver who was born to stretch defenses. His offensive coordinator doesn't have any problems communicating that, at least not anymore.

"To me, I think Jalen McMillan can do the same thing at any point," Grubb said, "but Rome is certainly that guy."

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