After Washington competed in the 2016 College Football Playoff, the Huskies lost John Ross. That loss proved costly over the next five seasons. UW’s wide receivers became a glaring weakness. And if we are being honest it set the program back a bit.

The following seasons in 2017 and 2018, the Huskies had the making of a team that could win a Rose Bowl. But it was clear, UW wide receivers were creating very little separation, putting pressure on UW’s offense as a whole.

Fast forward, five seasons and the Huskies are finally getting and keeping talent at wide receiver. The biggest reason for this is the hiring of wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard. Shephard made a name for himself at Purdue. He signed star WR Rondale Moore over offers from Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, and many more. Moore would go on to be a second round draft pick to the Arizona Cardinals.

Arriving at Washington, Shephard had a massive job of keeping the WR talent currently on the team despite having a completely new coaching staff at UW. Shephard and staff were able to keep Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Giles Jackson. That right there was Shephard’s first big win at UW.

But could he recruit players that weren’t his own at UW? Well that question has been answered. Last week, Shephard got a commitment out of 4-star WR Rashid Williams. Out of California, Williams is a top-250 player in the class of 2023.

Flashback to yesterday, Shephard was the lead recruiter in bringing in 2025 athlete LaMason Waller. Waller is so young that he has yet to be rated as a recruit. But is likely to be a future 5-star prospect. Waller has over 24 offers. He choose the Huskies over the likes of Georgia, Oregon, Florida State, Oklahoma, and many more.

JaMarcus Shephard could be the best WR coach UW has had in some time. Shephard has a already done his part in the recruiting. After losing Junior Adams during the off-season things looked bleak. But with the addition of Shephard, the future is brighter than ever at WR.

What’s most impressive about JaMarcus Shephard is his ability to recruit despite UW’s poor passing offense last year. It’s almost a guarantee that UW will be better in that area next season. But what Shephard has done in the recruiting space has been a big step in the right direction for an area UW has lacked in previous years.