Oklahoma CB Woodi Washington May Be Undervalued, But Not By His Teammates or Coaches

The Sooners' sixth-year senior cornerback has old-school experiences against some of the best in OU history, but he's also creating value by working at multiple positions.

Oklahoma cornerback Woodi Washington / STEVE SISNEY/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

NORMAN — Maybe the college football world is simply undervaluing Oklahoma cornerback Woodi Washington.

When a current OU player can tell the new guys that he practiced against Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb and got valuable reps in the Sooners’ last appearance in the College Football Playoff, he’s probably being undervalued.

“He told me these old stories when he was on the same team with CeeDee Lamb and J-Hurts,” transfer corner Dez Malone said this week. “I just love asking him questions.”

Washington is a sixth-year senior at OU, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound cornerback from Murfreesboro, TN, who made a career-high 10 tackles on an otherwise rough night against LSU in the Peach Bowl and now, six years later, hasn’t gone anywhere.

Not the NFL. Not the portal. Not back home to the Volunteer State. Washington has been a Sooner since July 2018, when he committed to OU over Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and others.

Washington has played in 46 games at OU. He’s made 36 career starts. Last year he was voted permanent team captain by his teammates. And this year, his final season, he’s landed on exactly zero preseason watch lists.

Washington has 202 career tackles, is the team’s active leader with 19 passes defensed and ranks second among his teammates with five career interceptions.

His true freshman year, he was thrown in at safety against LSU after Bookie Radley-Hiles got ejected. A year later, he helped beat Texas with a big-time end zone interception. Aside from an injury, he's been in the starting lineup ever since.

But, whether he feels slighted or overlooked or underappreciated, that’s OK with Washington. He’s staying focused on becoming a better football player by playing more positions.

Washington began at safety, soon shifted to nickel, but otherwise has always been a corner. But lately, he’s once again tinkered with playing safety and nickel. A couple of years ago, he got extended work there against Texas due to injuries and inconsistency at the safety spot. He’s kept one toe in the safety waters in practice ever since, and last spring he actually spent a lot of time in the shallow end of Brent Venables’ cheetah pool.

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Depending on the matchups and what Venables needs in a given situation, the cheetah can either be a linebacker type (Dasan McCullough, Sammy Omosigho) or a cornerback type (Kendel Dolby, Washington). Versatility is the key — and Washington provides that.

Washington explained during spring practice that he’s merely trying to help the team and create value for himself.

“I’m just trying to compete and learn as many positions as I can,” he said.

Last year, Washington led the Oklahoma defense with 851 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The year before, he played 889. In his career, Washington has played 2,587 defensive snaps, and since 2020, his PFF grades have been steady: 66.7, 61.9, 73.9 and 71.1. Last year’s number included an 89.1 grade against the run.

“His primary position’s at corner, and he’s done a nice job there,” Venables said. “Then he’s always had the ability — we, actually, the last two years have worked him at multiple positions, but we haven’t quite had the depth at corner that we’re hoping that we have there this fall. But he’s got a really good skill set. He’s smart. He’s played a lot of football. He’s really tough, so he plays big, but corner’s his primary position.”

Washington hasn’t done any interviews yet this preseason, but last spring he added that playing cheetah and being coached by corners coach Jay Valai, safeties coach Brandon Hall and new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zac Alley “has been fun.”

“They’re doing a great job, just trying to make sure I’m learning everything and I’m just trying to compete and learn as many positions as I can,” he said. “ … At the end of the day, it’s still playing defensive back.”

Washington isn’t as explosive as Gentry Williams, and he’s not as long and rangy as Kani Walker. But for most of the last four years, he’s been the Sooners’ most consistent corner. And he’s by far the most experienced.

So what would necessitate moving him to safety or nickel/cheetah?

“His versatility,” Venables said. “Nothing would have to happen. Just his versatility. Guys can’t go out there and play 95 percent of the reps. Somebody’s not doing something well, or they need to have a quick come-to-Jesus meeting, you’ve got really good players that you can put in different spots.”

The Sooners are in good shape at safety, where senior Billy Bowman has received preseason All-America recognition, sophomore Peyton Bowen looks to be a future star and junior Robert Spears-Jennings is on the cusp of taking over either spot. And things are good at cheetah, where McCullough is back after posting the team’s highest overall PFF grade last year and Dolby delivered multiple game-changing plays last year.

So maybe Washington stays at corner all year.

But it’s SEC football, and if he ever needs to slide over and fill in and let Walker or Malone or Jacobe Johnson or one of the Sooners’ talented freshmen get some snaps, that’s certainly on the table.

“That’s great because if there’s an injury, Woodi can come on in and just put him in that spot,” Spears-Jennings said. “Woodi is a fast learner, been in the program for a minute. He knows every position. It’s kind of easy for him because it’s just football at the end of the day. He’s been playing football for a while and knows how to play the game.”

“It’s really good … the movement, him just being very resilient to that,” Bowen said. “He’s taking it really well playing all sorts of positions, and he’s thriving in them, too. He’s doing his thing. He’s not busting. He’s an older guy so he knows the playbook really well, so it's easy for him to play all those different types of positions just in case something does happen, he can step in wherever. Best 11.”

And if nothing else, Washington has some entertaining stories to tell from his freshman year and how he did against a guy who’s arguably the NFL’s best receiver.

“He just told me like, ‘I wasn’t as good as I am now, so he got the best of me,’ ” said Malone, who transferred this year from San Diego State. “That’s what he told me.

“He was the first guy to take me under his wing when I first got here. Woodi is just great. He’s everything that you need and would think of from a sixth-year senior.”