By Lauren Kirschman / The News Tribune
SEATTLE — Washington head coach Chris Petersen has a philosophy about special teams. Watch who takes the field for the Huskies, he said, and you’ll know who the real football players are.
Take redshirt sophomore Kamari Pleasant, for example. He’s the player Petersen was discussing when he transitioned into the topic. Pleasant’s hard-nosed style and blocking ability — both qualities that have turned him into a promising offensive weapon for the Huskies — are also the reasons he’s been steadily improving on special teams.
It’s football in space, Petersen said. A true test of athleticism. And special teams is usually even more challenging for offensive players because they don’t have the tackling experience.
Pleasant, though, doesn’t feel like it’s been that much of an adjustment, mostly because he played defense in high school. He even committed to Arizona State as a defensive back in December 2015 before backing off and committing to UW as a running back in January.
“It’s pretty fun,” Pleasant said of playing special teams. “I like flying around with those guys.”
A three-star recruit out of Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Pleasant redshirted as a freshman before playing in four games in 2017. This year, he’s played in every games for the Huskies, including rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown on five carries against North Dakota.
Against Arizona State on Saturday, he had three carries for 18 yards. Pleasant has quietly rushed for 65 yards for eight carries this season, an average of 8.1 yards per carry.
“Kamari just keeps showing up,” said offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. “He’s a physical runner and he has been ever since I’ve been back. He’s done a great job.
“He’s a guy that’s just continued to work hard day in and day out. That’s what we ask of these guys, just a constant state of improvement. We’re proud of him.”
Two of Pleasant’s high school head coaches — Brandon Rohrer coached him for two years before Kevin Davis took over heading into his senior year — said Pleasant was capable of playing offense or defense at a high level in college.
“He was versatile,” Rohrer said. “On defense, he played safety for us. He was able to guard guys in the pass game. He was able to come up in the run game and make tackles for us. It was a lot easier for us to coach not having to sub guys in and out when you’re able to do both of those.”
Pleasant’s competitiveness contributed to his ability to excel on offense, defensive and special teams, Rohrer said. He grew up in an area loaded with athletic talent, so he had to be able to do a little bit of everything in order to get on the field.
Still, Pleasant has always preferred offense. Running back was his first position. He moved to defense early on in high school, but started transitioning back to running back as a sophomore.
When Davis arrived, he immediately noticed Pleasant’s offensive potential. While Pleasant still played safety on defense, he spent more time at running back. During Pleasant’s recruitment, Davis told college coaches he didn’t think Pleasant had reached his ceiling at the position.
He had so much more room to grow.
“I just feel like he was doing so well already for being kind of raw, so to speak, in terms of knowledge at the position,” Davis said. “I just told a lot of guys I thought he was going to peak even more once he got to the next level.”
Playing behind Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, Pleasant doesn’t see much of the spotlight. Even so, he’s making an impression on his coaches and teammates, all of whom described him as a downhill, powerful runner.
“I feel like I’m balanced runner,” Pleasant said. “I’ve got power behind me. The strength coaches, they’ve been putting the work in the offseason with us. I’ve been building speed on the sled after practice and all that.”
Pleasant said his body has changed significantly since he arrived at UW. He’s built a stronger core, which helps balance him when he’s cutting or spinning out of transitions.
Ahmed said Pleasant brings a different skill-set into a room filled with talented running backs.
“A great pass-blocker,” Ahmed said. “Showing he can be counted on to do what he’s supposed to do when he’s on the field.”
Pleasant is reliable, Ahmed said, someone who always know exactly where he should be. When he’s speaking to reporters, Pleasant is soft-spoken, careful with his words. But he brings energy to the position group, Ahmed said. Laughter, too. The running backs feed off of him.
That wasn’t a surprise to either of his high school coaches.
“He always had a smile on his face, great personality,” Davis said. “Guys around him enjoyed being around him. Kind of a natural leader.”
“He was very fun to coach,” Rohrer said. “He’s such a likable guy, his personality. Just happy as can be.”
At UW, Hamdan said Pleasant spends a lot of time hearing about Gaskin and Ahmed. But he just puts his head down and keeps working. Now, that effort is starting to pay off.
“When he’s in the game, he’s a tough runner,” Hamdan said. “He adds big-time value to this offense.”
Pleasant is constantly learning from the players in front of him, particularly Gaskin. He admires Gaskin’s insight and vision, and he’s studied how he creates opportunities for himself on the field.
“He’s on the next play,” Pleasant said. “Next play mentality. The next play could be a home run, you never know.”
Pleasant sees himself as having that big-play potential, something he showed a glimpse of with his 23-yard touchdown run against North Dakota.
After that win, Petersen praised Pleasant and sophomore Sean McGrew. With the Huskies comfortably ahead, both players saw plenty of time late in the game. They took advantage of that chance, something Pleasant plans to do whenever he gets on the field.
“I just take what I can get.” he said. “Any opportunity.”
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