A Moment with Junior Alexander, Who's Happy to be Home

The wide receiver gave Arizona State a try, but decided he was better off at the UW.

The weather was notably chilly inside Husky Stadium, but Arizona State transfer Lonyatta Alexander Jr., his head tucked inside a hoodie, wasn't outwardly complaining or yearning for a desert return.

The wide receiver expressed how happy he was to be back and playing for the University of Washington football team after passing on the Huskies when he emerged from Kennedy Catholic High School.

Alexander offered up a story about him and quarterback Sam Huard, his high school and college teammate, and how they teamed up as Kennedy Catholic freshmen for a walk-off touchdown pass that left the normally reserved quarterback babbling.

He told how the UW's newly hired and always animated JaMarcus Shephard is one of the more inspirational coaches he's had.

As for Arizona State, hey, Alexander had to try it.

"I kind of wanted to see what I could do for myself growing up as an individual, leaving Sam and Bez [Jabez Tinae) back home," he said, referring to his equally prolific Kennedy Catholic pass-minded teammates. "I wanted to see what I could do for myself. I decided that ASU wasn't the best for me so I'm back home."

Junior Alexander heads for the locker room.  / Dan Raley

What Alexander didn't say out loud was how those involved with the Sun Devils football program are holding their collective breath over allegations of recruiting missteps that could lead to hefty penalties.

He didn't mention how his father, Lonyatta Alexander Sr., a former UW walk-on, likes having him home so he can watch Junior practice again, which is what he did last week. 

At ASU, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Alexander showed he could run and catch with another Pac-12 receiving corps. He appeared in a pair of Sun Devils games while preserving his freshman eligibility. 

He's now catching passes again from Huard, who two years ago was responsible for delivering the ball to Alexander so he could latch onto 67 passes for 1,328 yards and 24 touchdowns, numbers that stamped the pass-catcher as a 4-star recruit.  

Shephard's presence is an added bonus for him. Alexander notes how his coach previously groomed a couple of NFL first-round receivers at previous stops. He feels in a much better position to succeed.

"His energy is through the roof," Alexander said of the former Purdue assistant. "He's probably one of the best coaches I've had since I've played this game."

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