Washington Football: 2017 season preview and predictions
Offense
Everyone knows the quarterback situation in Washington is set in stone, but what about the rest of the offense? John Ross is gone, leaving Jake Browning to find himself a new No. 1 receiver. Who will that be?
The obvious answer has to be senior Dante Pettis. He was second on the team in receiving last season with 53 catches for 822 yards and 15 scores. Not too shabby for a No. 2 wide out. The team’s third-leading receiver, Chico McClatcher also returns after posting over 500 yards in 2016.
True freshman Ty Jones might just find himself starting this fall at receiver while a trio of sophomores — Quentin Pounds, Andre Baccellia and Aaron Fuller — will provide depth.
Running back is also set with Myles Gaskin who rushed for over 1,300 yards for the second straight season. Talented 800-yard rusher Lavon Coleman will be backing him up. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry last season as a junior.
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Three starting offensive linemen return to the eighth-best scoring offense in the country. Trey Adams at left tackle, Coleman Shelton at center and Kaleb McGary at right tackle. Nick Harris could fill that open left guard spot while Andrew Kirkland or Jesse Sosebee may fit the right guard position.
Lastly, starting tight end Drew Sample returns. He had a quiet sophomore year with just nine catches for 106 yards. Expect those numbers to grow.
Jake Browning the nation’s best QB?
A season ago, Jake Browning put up some impressive numbers. He was just a sophomore. Still, passing for 3,430 yards and 43 touchdowns with a 62 percent completion rate is quite the line and it was good enough to get him sixth place in Heisman voting.
Browning had begun the season red-hot, but his numbers cooled a bit as the year progressed. He has the accuracy and the strong arm to become a solid quarterback in the NFL, but will he be the nation’s No. 1 gunslinger this season?
With three-fifths of his offensive line returning, an elite-level running back behind him and a top-tier receiver to throw to, Browning will have his best season yet. Entering his junior year, NFL teams will be looking closely at his body of work, and they’re going to be impressed with him after the 2017 season. Will he be the nation’s best? Maybe. If not, he’ll be in the top-three.