Husky Football Primer: Bynum Caught Sirmon's First Completion, Looks for More

Wide receiver played his way into the lineup last season; now it's time for him to become a bigger target.

Wide receiver Terrell Bynum caught his first career Washington pass in the fourth quarter of the 2019 season opener against Eastern Washington, an 11-yarder from Jacob Eason in a 47-14 victory.

On the next offensive series, Bynum hauled in Jacob Sirmon's first Husky pass completion, a 21-yard toss with the game  winding down.

Bynum ended the season in the Las Vegas Bowl by catching Richard Newton's first and only UW throwing attempt, a 13-yard halfback pass for a touchdown to help blister Boise State 38-7. 

The junior from Long Beach, California, has been party to multiple milestones in his college career. What he'd like to do now is add on to these solitary highlights by demonstrating long-term productivity.

Should Sirmon win the quarterback job, Bynum has a chance to become his go-to receiver over an entire season, whenever that might be.

"I've been told to be  more consistent and lately I have been," the UW receiver said late in the season. "I think that's why I've been given more opportunities and have taken advantage of them."

This is another in a series of profiles on prospective UW football starters. While spring practice is in question because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated will provide uninterrupted coverage. 

Bynum, with eight starts in 13 outings, stands as one of four first-teamers returning for the Huskies as they rebuild the offense. 

He finished up with 31 receptions for 368 yards, catching touchdown passes in the bowl game from Newton and a 16-yarder against Washington State from Eason in the Apple Cup.

A 4-star recruit, Bynum fielded 19 scholarship offers, coming from nearly all of the Pac-12 schools plus Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Nebraska, according to rivals.com. 

It's just taken him a little time to establish himself. After redshirting, he played in 10 games in 2018 without a reception. He had thumb surgery.

Answering this past season to UW receivers coach Junior Adams, formerly of Eastern Washington, Bynum learned all about Adams' prize pupil -- Cooper Kupp, now of the Los Angeles Rams.

The UW receiver was able to study the way the pro standout does it and even trade text messages with him. He considers Kupp someone to emulate.

"It's like he's playing in a phone booth, trying to make people miss," Bynum said. "I want to be like Cooper Kupp."

The Huskies will settle for a highly productive Bynum, which is someone who exhibits a nice change of pace while running routes and has the ability to pick up a lot of yardage after the catch.

If Bynum can become the next go-to receiver, the Huskies gladly will welcome that milestone. 

SUMMARY: Bynum is one of four players on offense with significant starting experience, finishing strong in 2019. There's no reason he can't pick up where he left off.

GRADE (1 to 5): The California product rates a 3. While he's played a lot, he needs to come up with big numbers for the benefit of Jacob Sirmon and the Huskies overall. If it doesn't happen, it means that he's an average talent, which has been a common criticism of recent UW receivers. Time to separate.