High School

DeSoto OL Byron Washington: Quarterback's best friend, pass rusher's worst nightmare

Meet the biggest guy on the best high school football team in Texas, and he's only a junior

Mike Swanson

Byron Washington is 6 feet 8, 380 pounds, a junior in high school and a Texas state champion.

The DeSoto (Texas) offensive lineman became an internet sensation over the weekend as he manhandled pass rushers during the Eagles' 74-14 rout of Summer Creek to win the 6A Division 2 high school football state championship.

Look: DeSoto (Texas) lineman Byron Washington's junior year in pictures

And he still has another year of high school.

Can he get even bigger, literally and figuratively, in his senior year?

Washington is a three-star prospect with offers from Texas, Oregon, TCU and Arizona State.

But coming off the weekend buzz he's received, 2024 is looking likely to be a monumental year for the big man on DeSoto's campus:

Washington's size advantage over his opponent across the line physically summarized how the 6A Division 2 state championship game played out.

DeSoto built a 46-7 halftime lead, led 53-7 early in the second half and 67-7 early in the final quarter. 

The Eagles' 74 points represented the second-highest total in a Texas 11-man state title game, and the 74-14 final was the largest margin of victory in a UIL championship contest. 

It was DeSoto's second consecutive state high school football championship after the Eagles flew to their first state title last year since 2016.

DeSoto's signature win this season came in October against Duncanville, which won the Texas 6A Division 1 state championship Saturday.

The Eagles finished No. 2 nationally in the final SBLive/Sports Illustrated Top 25 behind Southern California juggernaut Mater Dei.

With Washington anchoring the line next year, don't count out DeSoto to rise to the top of not just Texas, but the entire country.

DeSoto quarterback Darius Bailey (5) had to feel more comfortable in the pocket knowing Byron Washington (76) was blocking for him in the state championship game Saturday.
DeSoto quarterback Darius Bailey (5) had to feel more comfortable in the pocket knowing Byron Washington (76) was blocking for him in the state championship game Saturday / Photo by Tommy Hays

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

Published
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.

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