It’s no secret, depth was quickly becoming a question at wide receiver for Washington after four receivers transferred out of the program before spring ball. While transfers Ja’Lynn Polk and Giles Jackson have been brought in to try and offset those losses, it ultimately falls on the returning players in the room to step up. Fans have had their eyes on two guys to fill the holes in the depth, Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze.

Coming out of high school, the two four-star prospects had offers to every major school in the country, and both chose to come up to Montlake. After the pandemic shortened season, where they were able to get some playing time and not lose any eligibility, it’s going to be a big second year for this pair. It’s easy to see why both were rated so highly, with top-end speed, elite athleticism, and great hands, they both project out as WR1’s in the long run.

A big part of their success will come with opening up the offense. Offensive coordinator John Donovan will have a full offseason to install his scheme, and it’s imperative that he gets his wide receivers more involved, and that starts with these redshirt freshmen. While they might not start the season as Dylan Morris‘ top target with Cade Otton still around, they’ll have an opportunity to establish themselves as deep threats and security blankets for their young quarterback.

In their second season on campus, it’s also time to expect big things from the two young receivers. They’ve gotten a taste of what life is like at the college level, and now they’re able to be fully integrated into the offense. With more snaps, comes more opportunities, and with those opportunities, more plays should be made. Expect more timing routes, more deep shots, and since we’ll see a full schedule this season, just more ways to get the ball into the two young playmakers’ hands.

Jimmy Lake has been saying since he took over as head coach that he wants the Huskies to be aggressive in everything they do, and centering an offense around Odunze and McMillan is one of the most aggressive ways to make sure the Huskies can regain the high flying offense that they had with John Ross and Dante Pettis in 2016.