Inside The Huskies

Odunze, Last Piece to UW Offensive Puzzle, Chooses to Return

The wide receiver is one of eight draft-eligible Huskies who has decided to return.

Dan Raley

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the film The Terminator, menacingly said, "I'll be back."

Jack Nicholson, in The Shining, ghoulishly proclaimed, "I'm back."

Rome Odunze, the University of Washington's first-team All-Pac-12 wide receiver, went for something much more simple and sweet and without any cameras focused on him: "I am back."

Actually, the 6-foot-3, 201-pound pass-catcher from Las Vegas never left, confirming on Thursday he will play a fourth season for the Huskies — becoming the final piece of the draft-eligible UW players to confirm his return for the 2023.

With Odunze's affirmative decision in place, the Huskies went 8-for-8 in players choosing this offseason to remain in Kalen DeBoer's program and then publicize those football decisions rather than submit their names for the NFL draft.

Odunze joined his Husky quarterback Michael Penix Jr., edge rushers Zion Tupuola-Fetui and Bralen Trice, defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa, offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, tight end Devin Culp and McMillan as those who have gone through this ritual. 

Odunze led his team in receiving yards (1,145) and was second to Jalen McMillan in catches (75 to his teammate's 79) and in touchdown catches (7 to McMillan's 9).

More than the others, he took his time in deciding. He likely needed to hear that he was a first-round pick to enter the draft, and most online analysts have him pegged as a second-day selection, possibly in the third round.

Needing to rebuild the offensive line and settle on a new lead running back, the Huskies have retained most of the important pieces from an offense that averaged 39.7 points and 515.8 yards of total offense per game. 

Penix, of course, led the nation in passing yards per game (4,641) and he now has his three starting receivers returning in Ja'Lynn Polk, McMillan and Odunze.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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