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Inside The Huskies

What Does Rome Odunze's Return Mean for Washington?

After the All-American receiver announced his return to Montlake, what does that mean for the Huskies in 2023?
Roman Tomashoff|
What Does Rome Odunze's Return Mean for Washington?
What Does Rome Odunze's Return Mean for Washington?

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Washington Huskies

Rome Odunze truly is the final piece of the puzzle for Washington. With his decision to return to school, the Huskies are officially returning all draft-eligible underclassmen who received grades from the NFL Draft advisory board.

Odunze led the conference in receiving yards in 2022, racking up 75 catches for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. His numbers earned him a place as a third team All-America selection by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus, and a fourth-team pick for Phil Steele's  All-America team. With those accolades, he was (unsurprisingly) also a selection for the All Pac-12 first team.

After the Huskies finished the year ranked eighth in the country, there will be some very high expectations around the team in 2023. Washington's passing offense was the best in the nation in 2022, and with the return of Odunze and Jalen McMillan, along with the addition of wide receiver Germie Bernard in the transfer portal, Ryan Grubb's offense might have the best group of wide receivers in the country.

With the additions of running backs Dillon Johnson and Daniyel Ngata, Washington's offense has a chance to be even better than it was in 2022, and if the Huskies want to live up to their billing as a top 10 team nationally and playoff contender, it's going to be up to the defense. 

The Husky defense finished third in the conference in terms of yards allowed per game, and fourth in points per game, but they generated only 12 turnovers on the season. Tackling was also spotty at times, and when the offense got into a shootout, the question was always if the defense could do enough to survive.

If the defense can prove that it can generate turnovers and get stops in key spots, especially on third downs, this Washington team is going to do exactly what Odunze said they would in his announcement, compete for a third national championship.

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Roman Tomashoff
ROMAN TOMASHOFF

I've followed the Huskies for my entire life, and to be in a position where I get to cover them full-time is nothing short of an honor. After graduating from Lasell University in 2019, I moved to Seattle to pursue my dream of working in sports media. While writing for the Husky Haul, I also covered local sports for the Everett Daily Herald before the COVID-19 pandemic. After being hired by Realdawg.com in February of 2021, I also transitioned into doing a lot of entertainment writing, as I work on a variety of magazines as a contributing writer for Centennial Media, and have also contributed to Emmy Magazine, as well as Walt Disney Television Studios. 

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