Day 15 — Breakout Offensive Player

After years of up and down offensive success, Washington brought in an offensive minded head coach with a track record of success building high powered passing attacks. With a complete overhaul on that side of the ball, there will be ample playing time up for grabs. There’s more opportunities at receiver to catch balls, and the running back room is completely remade. With a brand new approach and scheme, who will be a surprise breakout star in 2022?

Not going to include quarterbacks because whoever wins the job is likely the breakout star. To the candidates!

WR Rome Odunze/Jalen McMillan/Ja’Lynn Polk

Cop-out, I know. Last season Odunze and McMillan piled up approximately 40 catches, 400 yards, and 4 TDs a piece. Like Culp, perhaps that is already a breakout season, but neither of these three receivers are household names, except among the legions of more hardcore UW fans. They’ve been a consistent starting three all spring and fall and the coaches seem to like what they have. We’ve seen more than just flashes of brilliance from them, and in a new offense with smartly designed pass concepts, they are set to see their numbers explode. If I had to pick just one, I’d go with Rome Odunze, though that is partially QB dependent. If a guy like Sam Huard or Michael Penix wins the job, they are likely to throw more deep passes to the deep threat, Odunze. Meanwhile, Dylan Morris has less of a gunslinging mentality and is likely to find a guy Jalen McMillan underneath more often.

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RB Sam Adams II

I thought about putting Wayne Taulapapa or Will Nixon here, since it sounds like they are getting the majority of first team reps at running back, but Adams has been in the mix. He’s a bigger running back standing at 6-2 but was such a versatile player in high school, lining up at running back, wide receiver, and safety, that it’s easy to see how his varied skill set fits into this passing attack. Ryan Grubb praise him this week saying he’s a 3-down back who run, catch, and block. I think Nixon and Wayne Taulapapa will get the majority of reps, but don’t be surprised if Sam Adams is a big play threat out of the backfield. We don’t have an official depth chart but he may have passed Cam Davis and is a player ascending rapidly.

WR Giles Jackson

While he doesn’t possess the size of the primary starting trio, Giles Jackson’s name keeps popping up this fall as a guy coaches have trouble keeping off the field. He’s a shifty and dynamic playmaker who brings a lot of toughness to the offensive side of the ball. For a team that has been lacking playmaking on offense, Jackson is just the type of player who can fill that void. For years we called it the “Chico” role and with the premium placed on backfield players who can both catch and run, Jackson will have an opportunity for a huge season. He’s always been a talented kick/punt returner, and if he can refine that athleticism and grow as a wide receiver, he’ll have a true breakout season. Not mention WR Coach JaMarcus Shepherd has some experience with smaller diminutive receivers - see Moore, Rondale.

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RT Roger Rosengarten

Suffice it to say the 2021 offensive line had a disappointing season. I won’t rehash the reasons why here, but the talent is clearly there. With a new scheme there’s been ample opportunities for players to move up the depth and Rosengarten has done just that. He was a 4-star OT recruit in the 2020 class who brings nimble athleticism, toughness and motor to the offensive line. He’s already unseated two year starter RT Victor Curne and rotational player Matteo Mele. He appears ready to be the starter at RT and help elevate the entire position group. If he has an All Pac-12 season, I’ll say he had a breakout year.

TE Devin Culp

Would anyone consider Culp’s 20 catch, 222 yard and 1 TD 2021 season a breakout? I would say we only saw a glimpse of what makes the 6-4 239 pound athlete so intriguing. Entering his fourth year in the program, he has taken steady steps forward each year and while this offense does not rely on the TE as much as we might be used to, a player like Culp gives the offense room to create mismatches. He’s got the size to out muscle secondary players and the speed to go past linebackers, and if his blocking comes along, he can help create numbers advantages. Culp got 20 catches in a broken offense last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him more than double his numbers this year.

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And the winner is...

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Giles Jackson. With the direction this offense is heading, he has the perfect receiving and running skill set to take advantage of all the chances the wide receivers will get. I expect him to be the source of many explosive plays and fans will view him as an important cog in the offense by mid season. Rushing and receiving, he as 132 total yards in his Washington career. He should equal that number by the second game of the season.

Yesterday, I forgot to talk about Dom Hampton who is clearly poised for a breakout season. Who did I forget today? Let me know in the comments!