Coming off of one of his best collegiate receiving days Rome Odunze was sky high.  He had hauled in 7 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s season-opening 56-19 victory over Boise State.  It was receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard who was able to bring Odunze back to Earth.

Keeping his receivers grounded is something Shephard does every day.

“He’s very aware of things going on in the world,” said Belintnikoff-candidate Rome Odunze.  “We talk a lot about being more than just a football player—than an athlete.”

Nearly one month ago Shephard had his players hold hands and bow their heads for a moment of silence for the victims of the fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.  Prayer wasn’t required but being mindful of other’s struggles was.

Those fires, which began on August 8, struck hardest in the historic resort town of Lahaina, on Maui’s western peninsula.  Most of the town was reduced to ash and more than 115 people lost their lives and many are still unaccounted for.

“He wants us to be complete receivers and men,” Odunze continued.  “Part of that is having empathy for other humans.”

Part of the transformation of Washington’s receiving corps has been with their on-field mental makeup switch from receivers to “takers”.  Off the field he wants “givers”.

“Coach Shep wanted us to pray for (the people of Maui),” said McMillan.  “But he also wanted us to play for them.  He told us that many of those people went to bed and didn’t wake up and that we should honor them by playing to the best of our ability.”

And play for them he did against Boise State in the season opener.  He caught 8 passes for 95 yards and two TDs; he ran 19 yards for another score, threw a pass completion for 9 yards, and returned two punts.

“When things like (the Maui fire) happen he wants us to be aware and be there in some form, in whatever way you can,” Odunze said. “It definitely keeps you grounded.”

Shephard’s message is always rooted in humility.

“Coach told us to not take anything for granted–not even the next day,” said receiver Denzel Boston.

Life is much bigger than the game of football.

“There’s bigger problems in the world that people are going through than this game,” Odunze said.  “It helps you play more freely knowing that your play may be helping someone through a struggle.”

Inside the somewhat sheltered world of a college football player, Shephard wants his players to look beyond the football playbook and look at the playbook of life.

“(Coach Shephard) does those things every chance he gets,” said fellow Belitnikoff candidate Jalen McMillan looking around at the empty stands around him.  “He helps us have a better understanding of the world outside of Husky Stadium.”

There are other position group functions in the receiver room that are designed for a deeper understanding of each other, as well.

“That’s how we start out pretty much every meeting with my group,” he said.

It took a bit of time to get the players to open up but once they opened their hearts the floodgates opened, as well.

“We have a deeper bond with each other off the field now and really not just with the receivers anymore,” McMillan explained.  “When you trust your guys and they trust you it it shows on the field where you are unselfish.”

“For my players (my message) is very consistent every single day, they’re going to hear the same message: Faith, Family, and Football,” Shephard said.  “It’s been engraved on my bowl rings, in everything that I do.”

And it’s been engrained on his players.  18 months into his time at Washington he’s now seeing how his players are more introspective of the world outside of football and bring up issues to discuss.

“They’re the ones that are wanting to lead it now,” Shepard said.  “There are guys who say ‘Coach, I want to lead this devotional’ or ‘I want to lead this opportunity to pray for this particular reason’.”

And one day the leaders that Shephard is helping create inside the friendly confines of Husky Stadium will be unleashed on the world with a greater sense of purpose that flows beyond football.

”They do a great job of pushing each other to understanding that the person has to be greater than the player,” Shepherd said.

He’s developing his receivers with purpose where their impact will be in their own families and communities—beyond football.

But for now Shephard will unleash his takers on the rest of college football.