Huskies' Fresno Connection Should Liven Things Up

Jalen McMillan eager to see what he can do in the new offense.

Jalen McMillan admittedly felt great discomfort when his University of Washington receivers coach Junior Adams took another job at Oregon.

The loss of his teacher, mentor and confidante made him feel a little scared if not vulnerable. He had to discuss this situation with those closest to him.

"When your receivers coach leaves, you go to your parents, to your family, and you pray about it, think about it, talk about it," McMillan said.

After the shock wore off, this veteran Husky pass-catcher got over losing the trusted Adams soon enough. McMillan was one of the first Husky headliners to declare he would be returning.

It helped that McMillan had insider knowledge on new coach Kalen DeBoer, who was moving to Seattle from McMillan's hometown, and bringing his wide-open Fresno State offense with him.

"It's pretty special, though, when you think about it because they were from Fresno and I was from Fresno," McMillan said. "I was licking my chops when I found out they were coming."

Jalen McMillan should flourish in Kalen DeBoer's spread offense.  / Skylar Lin Visuals

He never met DeBoer until this new football coach arrived in Montlake from the San Joaquin Valley. When McMillan went through the recruiting process, Jeff Tedford was Fresno State's leader and DeBoer was in the Big Ten as Indiana's offensive coordinator. 

Besides, McMillan fielded offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and others before choosing the Huskies. 

He gave local Fresno State what amounted to a courtesy listen. Kirby Moore, formerly a UW graduate assistant in 2015 and 2016 and now the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, was his recruiting contact with the Mountain West school.

Jalen McMillan and new receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard have bonded / Skylar Lin Visuals

McMillan likewise warmed to JaMarcus Shephard, his new receivers coach and a guy with about as much personality as Husky Stadium has seats.  

Still just a sophomore, McMillan comes off a season in which he caught a modest 39 passes for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns. By all accounts, he should more than double those numbers if all goes well this season. He knows it. 

"It's vertical, it's attacking," he said of DeBoer's spread offense. "You definitely want to play in his offense if you're a receiver."

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