Star WR Odunze returning to UW for 2023 season

By Mike Vorel / The Seattle Times

Rome Odunze was the last one left.

On Thursday, the sophomore wide receiver followed eight teammates — quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receiver Jalen McMillan, edges Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, left tackle Troy Fautanu, defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa, running back Richard Newton and tight end Devin Culp — in announcing a return to Washington in 2023.

“What a time it’s been!” Odunze wrote on Instagram. “I wanna say thank you to my family, this coaching staff, my teammates, and all of husky nation for the continuous support throughout the years. I am so blessed to be in the position that I am. Unfortunately I have still not reached my goals.

“When I committed to UW in 2020 and when I committed again to this coaching staff (last offseason) I commented on a national championship. Now with the opportunity in front of me, I’ll be back once more to see my goals realized. GO DAWGS!”

The caption accompanied a purple and gold graphic with Odunze’s signature and the following headline:

I AM BACK

WE’RE COMING FOR A THIRD.

He was referring, of course, to the program’s prospective third national championship.

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound wideout earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in his third season in Seattle — compiling 75 catches, 1,145 receiving yards, 15.3 yards per reception and eight total touchdowns in 12 games. Odunze’s career includes 122 catches, 1,632 yards and 12 touchdowns in 25 career games.

Odunze — a Bishop Gorman alum and former four-star recruit — and McMillan (79 catches, 1,098 yards, 9 TD) became the first Husky teammates to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. The 11-2 Huskies earned a No. 8 Associated Press ranking to close the campaign, with Pac-12 title and playoff goals still ahead in 2023.

It seems the Huskies have also improved this offseason — adding Oklahoma State cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, Michigan State wide receiver Germie Bernard, Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson, Arizona State running back Daniyel Ngata, USC linebacker Ralen Goforth, Cal Poly tight end Josh Cuevas and Sioux Falls edge Zach Durfee via the transfer portal.

That Odunze-McMillan tandem will return next fall as well, providing Penix with the Pac-12’s premier receiving corps. Contributors Ja’Lynn Polk, Giles Jackson and Taj Davis will also be back — joined by Bernard, redshirt freshman Denzel Boston and true freshmen Rashid Williams and Keith Reynolds.

“Professional … @RomeOdunze is a Pro in all aspects of his life!” UW associate head coach and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard tweeted Thursday. “Just excited to bring this man back in the room to keep sharpening his craft! Let’s get to work!”

There are plenty of mouths to feed — and Odunze isn’t picky. In Washington’s 27-20 Alamo Bowl win over Texas, Penix found Taj Davis for a six-yard score, a play made possible by an Odunze block. As Davis danced through the Alamodome end zone, Odunze deliriously pumped his fist, before bombastically chest-bumping Shephard.

After it was over — after he hugged UW wide receiver great Reggie Williams, then climbed a ladder to lead the Husky marching band — Odunze said “I’m honestly speechless to be in this moment, to have this opportunity with this team, with all that we’ve been through. I just love my brothers and I love everybody that poured into us and put that time in so we could accomplish those things.”

Odunze has more to accomplish at Washington.

He isn’t the only one.

“I’m proud of just the way that each guy has been thorough in his own way — making sure that in the end, they do what’s best for them,” UW coach Kalen DeBoer said prior to the Alamo Bowl, of the ongoing avalanche of 2023 returns. “But I think the common theme has been that they don’t want to miss out on what’s ahead here in this program.

“They’re excited about what they’ve built and what the opportunity is, not just in this game but next season. So when you have those relationships amongst your team, they don’t want to miss out, and they know how important each of them are to the success of the others.”