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Football
Washington Anxious to Prove Himself in 2010
By Tony Gerdeman

In Taurian Washington’s first game as a Buckeye in 2007, he caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the season-opener against Youngstown State. Three games later, on September 22, 2007, he caught his third pass of the season.

Taurian Washington heads for the endzone against Youngstown State.
Photo by Jim Davidson

That also happens to be the last time he caught a pass as a Buckeye.

During Jim Tressel’s tenure as head coach at The Ohio State University, eight Buckeye wide receivers have been drafted by the NFL--four in the first round alone.

And, amazingly, of those eight receivers, none of them were as productive as Taurian Washington in their first four games on campus. Granted, three receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown may not seem like a lot, but it’s still better than the likes of Michael Jenkins, Santonio Holmes, Anthony Gonzalez and Ted Ginn Jr. were able to produce.

That very first glimpse of Washington’s flash and ability had Buckeye fans yearning for more. As they saw him streaking into the endzone, expectations grew exponentially.

Taurian Washington was surely the next big thing.

But as the season went on, Washington would only play in a total of six games in 2007. And despite a strong showing in the spring of 2008, including four receptions and a touchdown in the Spring Game, he would only play in ten games as a sophomore.

2009 was set to be the year that Buckeye Nation got to see what Taurian Washington could finally do when given an opportunity. He had another terrific spring, including four more catches and another touchdown in the Spring Game.

In fact, his progress prompted wide receivers coach Darrell Hazell to tell reporters last spring that, “He's definitely gotten better and he's matured. He'll help us. If he keeps getting better, he'll help us.”

And when given the opportunity to perform as the third receiver against Navy to open the season last year, he promptly dropped a couple of key passes. After that, very little of Washington was seen in the Buckeye offense again.

It made the following caveat from Hazell last spring seem prophetic. “Hopefully he can keep getting better. He's not there yet, but I like the direction he's going.”

While you wouldn’t think that a couple of drops to open the season would doom a player, it seemed they were just one part of a larger problem. There are always lessons being taught in football, and when a player is given an opportunity, they don’t have many chances to show that they are ready before their opportunity goes to somebody else--and they rarely get more than one opportunity to show that they definitely AREN‘T ready.

“From my understanding, I guess it was a couple of drops, and I guess they felt like I wasn’t ready yet to produce for the team”, explained Washington, when talking about his falling out of favor with the coaches.

He was so distraught about his lack of playing time following the regular season that he actively considered transferring to a place where he felt more confident that he would get a chance to play.

He talked about his situation to fellow receiver Lamaar Thomas, who ended up transferring to New Mexico following the season because he was also unhappy with playing time.

“I actually talked to Lamaar every day. We were roommates for the Rose Bowl. We talked a lot. He was probably the only one who said he was going to do it and actually did it. I’m happy for him and I just hope Lamaar gets a chance to show what he can do, because he didn’t really get a chance here.”

But it’s a lot easier for somebody to transfer with three years of college life remaining, as Thomas had, compared to Washington’s prospects of having to possibly sit out a year in order to play one final year somewhere else.

“It was kind of tough”, Washington said of his thought process. “I made a big decision and I just decided to stay. I already know the playbook and things of that nature. I’ve created a lot of friends here. A lot of my decision-making before was out of frustration. So I just decided to stay here.”

“After the season and sitting down and having a little time to think about it, I just realized that I was a little frustrated. And it really doesn’t make any sense to transfer and sit out a year and not play when I can get better here and try to get back on the field.”

How close was he to actually leaving, and did he have any schools in mind?

“I was thinking of a couple of schools back at home”, he said. “Division one and two schools. But like I said, it was out of frustration. It was just looking and not really pinpointing an exact school.”

So once Washington’s destination was solidified and he decided to remain a Buckeye, he understood where he was lacking in the past and is now determined not to give his coaches anymore fodder than they already have.

As for what he’s working on now, one word came quickly to mind.

“Concentration. I think I had a lack of concentration in my first game where I had my couple of drops. So I’m just basically working on that to make sure that that never happens again.”

If history is any indicator, we should expect another solid spring from Taurian Washington this year. Of course, spring football has a long history of producing stars in April who never materialize in September. But spring football is also where players are given the opportunity to show that their coaches can rely on them--and Washington understands this.

“Every year, I never want to overlook spring“, he said. “Spring ball is basically like firing us up and getting us ready for camp and for the season. So I’m excited for the spring.”

But as we have already learned from Washington in the past, it takes more than a strong spring to stay on the field in the fall. What is it going to take for this final season to be more productive than his previous three?

“Just another year of hard work”, he explains. “Hustling. Doing everything I can. Grinding. Just doing the little things. The extra things. Basically the same things I was doing last year that got me into that third spot.”

And then some.

But at least he realizes that now and understands that nothing is going to be given to him. He also isn’t taking anything for granted.

“I’m just hoping that I do get that chance. I’m working hard. And basically just praying for that spot. I’m excited about next year. It’s my last year. If I do get the opportunity again, I just plan on showing everybody what I can do.”

The fans are excited too.

They remember seeing Washington race into the endzone as a true freshman in his first game ever. Visions of Teddy Ginn dancing in their heads. They want him to close his career the same way he opened it--by leaving defenders in his wake.

Jim Tressel likes to talk about players having their very best seasons when they are seniors. For Taurian Washington, that shouldn’t be too hard.

But then, looking back on his career, that doesn’t mean it was easy either.

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