UW's Odunze Among 3 Finalists Reaching for Biletnikoff Award
When the nation's top receivers were listed over and over entering the 2022 season, Rome Odunze and fellow University of Washington pass-catcher Jalen McMillan were nowhere to be found.
They were omitted, ignored or not taken seriously whatsoever.
They momentarily paid the price for playing for a 4-8 Huskies team the year before that struggled mightily to move the ball down the field at times and showcase their talents.
Enter Kalen DeBoer's pass-happy offense and McMillan caught 79 passes and Odunze 75 and they were finally on the top receiver map.
While McMillan has had to deal with a knee injury this season that set him back, nothing has stopped Odunze from commanding everyone's attention and making them look at him. Stare at him. Find themselves unable to take their eyes off him.
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Odunze was named as one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award that is annually given to the nation's top FBS receiver and was founded in 1994. Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU's Malik Nabers are the others in the running.
The award is named for Fred Biletnikoff, who's now an 80-year-old man who played collegiately for Florida State and became a household name as a 14-year receiver for the Oakland Raiders, catching 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 scores.
Odunze has been nothing short of a spectacular all season for the third-ranked and 12-0 Huskies with 73 receptions for 1,326 yards and 13 touchdowns, 15 scores overall when counting his 83-yard punt return that went the distance and a rushing TD.
In contrast, Harrison has 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 scores, while Nabers has hauled in 86 balls for 1,546 yards and 14 scores.
Odunze exceeds these two in yards per reception at 18.2 whereas Harrison averages 18.1 and Nabers goes for 18.0 each catch.
No Husky has won the Biletnikoff Award, and just four Pac-12 players have claimed it, with Oregon State's Brandin Cooks the last to do it in 2013. Other recipients were USC's Marqise Lee in 2012, Oregon State's Mike Hass in 2005 and Stanford's Troy Walters in 1994.
On Friday, Odunze can lobby a national audience for him winning the Biletnikoff Award when he returns to his Las Vegas hometown for the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon.
In the first game between these teams, he settled the issue with an 18-yard touchdown catch with 1:38 left, making the Huskies a 36-33 winner.
The Ducks won't want to ignore or dismiss him. The last time that happened, he went out and caught 148 balls over his next 25 games.
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