Inside The Huskies

Odunze Puts On a Show in Huskies' Spring Practice No. 6.

The veteran wide receiver and All-Pac-12 pick had his way with every defender on Monday.

Dan Raley

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Husky Pro Day was last week, which was a good thing for the University of Washington football team. Had it been on Monday, the Huskies might have been in big trouble — namely, in keeping NFL scouts from crowding around Rome Odunze and begging him to enter the April draft.

The 6-foot-3, 211-pound wide receiver put on a show worthy of any combine, primetime TV or bowl game setting. 

If he wasn't considered a first-round pick before Monday, he certainly looked the part in the Huskies' sixth spring practice.  

Almost effortlessly, Odunze schooled every Husky defensive back who tried to cover him in Dempsey Indoor. That included touted cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, the Oklahoma State transfer who was an All-Big 12 honorable-mention recipient last season.

"He's an NFL guy," Muhammad said. "It's tough trying to battle him every day. He's savvy. He's smooth with it."

Odunze beat Muhammad down the sideline and made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch while tightroping the sideline.

He next ran Elijah Jackson down the field only to come back and haul in a Michael Penix Jr. pass for a 20-yard gain. This play was so deceptive it had Jalen McMillan greeting his fellow receiver back on the sideline with a sweeping, emphatic hand slap.

In a full-contact portion of practice, Odunze got behind Muhammad again and raced under a 40-yard Penix strike for a touchdown, bringing loud woofing from the offensive sideline. 

Last week, Walter Camp came out and named Odunze as a preseason, first-team All-America selection, pairing him up with Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. as the nation's two best pass catchers. 

No one was arguing his elite college football status following his unstoppable performance against UW teammates that brightened up an otherwise gray and drizzly Monday outside. 

Co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell sees these sort of spring match-ups pairing his cornerbacks against Odunze, McMillan and Heisman Trophy quarterback candidate Michael Penix Jr. as highly beneficial, as long as both sides are winning their fair share.

"When you're having success against arguably some of the top guys in the country, in the conference for sure but in the country alone, I think competing against that talent on a daily basis builds confidence," Morrell said. 

Coming off a 75-catch, 1,145-yard, 7-TD season, Odunze is as confident as ever. He also seems faster, more sure-handed and determined to leave no doubt that people should be talking about him.

Muhammad is hardly short of football skills himself. He moves real well and plays physical. He thinks Odunze match-ups are only going to make him and the others better.

"All of us are trying to figure it out at the same time," the new corner said. "It's going to be good for us."

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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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