During spring practice, head Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano revealed that Isaiah Washington had stepped up and done a really good job making plays. A few weeks later, Washington put on a show at the Scarlet-White game with four catches on four targets for 76 yards.
“I think he had a really good spring. He came in with it with a chip on his shoulder and he worked very hard,” Schiano said. “He had a little low at one point, but then fought his way out and then tonight obviously that was a spectacular play. But he had some other plays as well. I was glad to see him and spring on that note. He's a good player, and he's a great guy to have on the football team. I think that he will bring production to the offense come fall.”
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Washington shed light on that chip on his shoulder after the scrimmage as he had just nine receptions for 96 yards as a sophomore a year after making an impact as a freshman with 18 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown.
I approached the spring as it's time to work,” Washington said. “We have great receivers in our room and I love the competition that we have and I like to compete. I came out ready to work for the spring.”
The highlight of the night during the Scarlet-White game was his one-handed grab that went for 65 yards down the left sideline for a score.
“Honestly, it's just playing football. Cole Snyder made a great throw and I kind of blacked out and just one-handed it,” Washington said.
Like many of the receivers on the team have within the last year, Washington credited wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood for aiding in his development of catching the ball, all-around technique, and game on the football field.
“Coach ‘Wood has helped tremendously in my improvement,’ Washington said. “I think I've kind of improved on making those hard catches and he's definitely helped all the receivers with that. Credit to him.”
In 2020, the offense saw many improvements in terms of scoring points, yards gained, and more, especially when it came to passing. Now with spring practice behind them, Washington feels the team will be even better in 2021.
“I think we grew tremendously. We came out and we worked hard all spring. It was a really hard spring,” Washington said. “We kept pushing. We improved immensely. I love to see my guys and I'm glad we got to put on a show in the spring game. It's pretty awesome.”
Washington, at 6-foot-3 and 210-pounds, brings a different skillet to the table than many of the other receivers on the team and he can be an asset as a taller pass catcher.
“I think that whatever coach (Sean) Gleeson and the rest of the coaching staff have cooked up for a taller guy like me I'm open to do it,” Washington said. “I'm willing to take all the coaching and help this team get to the next level we're trying to get to.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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