Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: OSU Athletics
One More Ride: James Washington
August 24, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State's James Washington has blossomed into arguably the nation's most prolific wide receiver during his three seasons in Stillwater. This season, Washington will have a chance to cap off a truly historic career and cement his place as one of the most successful players in OSU history.
James Washington first arrived in north central Oklahoma prior to the 2014 seasons and his impact on the Cowboy offense was immediate.
As a true freshman, Washington led the team with six touchdown catches, a mark that ranked fourth nationally among true freshman. He was also eighth in the Big 12 and 47th nationally with 16.3 yard per reception.
Washington turned in the most productive receiving day by an OSU freshman since Dez Bryant when he hauled in four passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against a Baylor squad that entered the day ranked 14th nationally in total defense. Highlighted by his 68-yard touchdown reception, Washington's 114 yards that day only Bryant's 155 yards vs. Kansas and 117 yards vs. Indiana in 2007 for the most by an OSU freshman.
His 100-yard outburst put him in an elite group with Bryant, Marcellus Rivers and Hart Lee Dykes as the only freshman in OSU history to post a 100-yard receiving day. Washington capped off his incredible freshman season with a highlight-reel one-handed touchdown grab during the Cowboys' win over Washington in the Cactus Bowl. At the seasons' end, Washington received the team's Russell Okung Award, which is presented to the Cowboys' most outstanding newcomer.
After a historic first season, Washington returned in 2015 and continued to build on the immense success of his freshman campaign.
He led the national with four 70-plus yard receptions and ranked 10th nationally with 20.5 yards per catch. Washington also hauled in 10 receiving touchdown receptions, which was good for 17th in the nation. His 1,087 receiving yards also made him one of only four underclassmen ever at OSU to post a 1,000-yard receiving seasons, joining Rashaun Woods (2001), Dez Bryant (2008) and Justin Blackmon (2010).
Washington recorded five 100-yard receiving performances and led the team with 17 explosive plays from scrimmage (20+ yard gains). All five of his 100-yard outputs came against Big 12 opposition, with his biggest day coming in the shape of a career-high 200-yard performance against Texas Tech. Washington also scored two 70-plus yard touchdowns on consecutive touches against the Red Raiders in the fourth quarter and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors in doing so.
The Stamford, Texas native finished his sophomore season by earning a spot on the All-Big 12 second team, behind only a pair of Biletnikoff Award finalists in Corey Coleman from Baylor and Josh Doctson from TCU. He also received OSU's Thurman Thomas Award, which is given by the coaches to the team's outstanding offensive performers.
Discussions of where Washington ranked among the all-time great wide receivers at Oklahoma State had already begun by the time his sophomore season concluded. Washington's junior season served only to stoke that fire as he began to chase some of the top receiving marks in the OSU record book.
Washington, now a team captain as voted by teammates, continued to stand out, even among a very deep and talented group of wide receivers at Oklahoma State.
While he was certainly no stranger to putting up eye-popping numbers, Washington had a truly historic performance against Pittsburgh in week three when he recorded nine catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Cowboys to victory. That showing saw him set single-game career benchmarks for receptions (9), receiving yards (296) and longest reception (91).
Washington's 296 yards marked the second-most in a single game for any player in the nation in 2016, the second-highest single-game mark in school history and the fourth-most in Big 12 history. His parade through the Pitt defense also earned him national offensive player of the week honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
His historic day was no one-off though, as Washington continued to an impact player on the Cowboy offense all the way through OSU's victory over No. 10 Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
In San Antonio, Texas, James Washington once again stole the show, as he posted a nine-catch, 171-yard explosion against the Buffaloes en route to securing Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP honors. Making his numbers even more impressive is the fact that injury forced him to leave the game in the third quarter. Further, the Colorado secondary entered the Alamo Bowl as one of the best units in the nation and was ranked third nationally in pass efficiency defense and 13th nationally in pass defense.
Washington finished his junior campaign with an impressive 1,380 receiving yards, which ranked second in the Big 12 and helped the native Texan earn first-team All-Big 12 honors for the first time in his career. He also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 second team and received OSU's Thurman Thomas Award for the second-straight year.
Through his junior season, James Washington already stands alongside some of the most successful wide receivers in Oklahoma State history. Now a senior, he'll have a chance to continue to build on what has already been an incredible career in Stillwater.
Entering the 2017 season, Washington has been tabbed as the No. 1 senior receiver in the country by Mel Kiper and as the No. 1 returning receiver in college football by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg and by Athlon Sports. His 26 career receiving touchdowns mark the highest total among all active FBS plyers heading into 2017 and he leads all active receivers from Power Five conferences with 2,923 receiving yards and 19.2 career yards per reception.
His 2,923 career receiving yards rank fourth on OSU's all-time list. He is one of five Cowboys in history to post multiple 1,000-yard seasons, joining Justin Blackmon, Rashaun Woods, Hart Lee Dykes and Adarius Bowman. Washington is also one of only three players in team history to ever score 10 or more receiving touchdowns in multiple seasons, as he joins Blackmon and Woods in that exclusive club.
Washington has already collected numerous preseason accolades, which includes being named to the Preseason AP All-America team and a unanimous preseason All-Big 12 selection. He has also been named to several preseason watch lists such as the Walter Camp, Maxwell and Biletnikoff Awards.
James Washington will wear the black and orange for one final season in 2017, but his legacy among the Oklahoma State faithful will remain intact for many years to come.
James Washington first arrived in north central Oklahoma prior to the 2014 seasons and his impact on the Cowboy offense was immediate.
As a true freshman, Washington led the team with six touchdown catches, a mark that ranked fourth nationally among true freshman. He was also eighth in the Big 12 and 47th nationally with 16.3 yard per reception.
Washington turned in the most productive receiving day by an OSU freshman since Dez Bryant when he hauled in four passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against a Baylor squad that entered the day ranked 14th nationally in total defense. Highlighted by his 68-yard touchdown reception, Washington's 114 yards that day only Bryant's 155 yards vs. Kansas and 117 yards vs. Indiana in 2007 for the most by an OSU freshman.
His 100-yard outburst put him in an elite group with Bryant, Marcellus Rivers and Hart Lee Dykes as the only freshman in OSU history to post a 100-yard receiving day. Washington capped off his incredible freshman season with a highlight-reel one-handed touchdown grab during the Cowboys' win over Washington in the Cactus Bowl. At the seasons' end, Washington received the team's Russell Okung Award, which is presented to the Cowboys' most outstanding newcomer.
After a historic first season, Washington returned in 2015 and continued to build on the immense success of his freshman campaign.
He led the national with four 70-plus yard receptions and ranked 10th nationally with 20.5 yards per catch. Washington also hauled in 10 receiving touchdown receptions, which was good for 17th in the nation. His 1,087 receiving yards also made him one of only four underclassmen ever at OSU to post a 1,000-yard receiving seasons, joining Rashaun Woods (2001), Dez Bryant (2008) and Justin Blackmon (2010).
Washington recorded five 100-yard receiving performances and led the team with 17 explosive plays from scrimmage (20+ yard gains). All five of his 100-yard outputs came against Big 12 opposition, with his biggest day coming in the shape of a career-high 200-yard performance against Texas Tech. Washington also scored two 70-plus yard touchdowns on consecutive touches against the Red Raiders in the fourth quarter and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors in doing so.
The Stamford, Texas native finished his sophomore season by earning a spot on the All-Big 12 second team, behind only a pair of Biletnikoff Award finalists in Corey Coleman from Baylor and Josh Doctson from TCU. He also received OSU's Thurman Thomas Award, which is given by the coaches to the team's outstanding offensive performers.
Discussions of where Washington ranked among the all-time great wide receivers at Oklahoma State had already begun by the time his sophomore season concluded. Washington's junior season served only to stoke that fire as he began to chase some of the top receiving marks in the OSU record book.
Washington, now a team captain as voted by teammates, continued to stand out, even among a very deep and talented group of wide receivers at Oklahoma State.
While he was certainly no stranger to putting up eye-popping numbers, Washington had a truly historic performance against Pittsburgh in week three when he recorded nine catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Cowboys to victory. That showing saw him set single-game career benchmarks for receptions (9), receiving yards (296) and longest reception (91).
Washington's 296 yards marked the second-most in a single game for any player in the nation in 2016, the second-highest single-game mark in school history and the fourth-most in Big 12 history. His parade through the Pitt defense also earned him national offensive player of the week honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
His historic day was no one-off though, as Washington continued to an impact player on the Cowboy offense all the way through OSU's victory over No. 10 Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
In San Antonio, Texas, James Washington once again stole the show, as he posted a nine-catch, 171-yard explosion against the Buffaloes en route to securing Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP honors. Making his numbers even more impressive is the fact that injury forced him to leave the game in the third quarter. Further, the Colorado secondary entered the Alamo Bowl as one of the best units in the nation and was ranked third nationally in pass efficiency defense and 13th nationally in pass defense.
Washington finished his junior campaign with an impressive 1,380 receiving yards, which ranked second in the Big 12 and helped the native Texan earn first-team All-Big 12 honors for the first time in his career. He also was named to the Academic All-Big 12 second team and received OSU's Thurman Thomas Award for the second-straight year.
Through his junior season, James Washington already stands alongside some of the most successful wide receivers in Oklahoma State history. Now a senior, he'll have a chance to continue to build on what has already been an incredible career in Stillwater.
Entering the 2017 season, Washington has been tabbed as the No. 1 senior receiver in the country by Mel Kiper and as the No. 1 returning receiver in college football by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg and by Athlon Sports. His 26 career receiving touchdowns mark the highest total among all active FBS plyers heading into 2017 and he leads all active receivers from Power Five conferences with 2,923 receiving yards and 19.2 career yards per reception.
His 2,923 career receiving yards rank fourth on OSU's all-time list. He is one of five Cowboys in history to post multiple 1,000-yard seasons, joining Justin Blackmon, Rashaun Woods, Hart Lee Dykes and Adarius Bowman. Washington is also one of only three players in team history to ever score 10 or more receiving touchdowns in multiple seasons, as he joins Blackmon and Woods in that exclusive club.
Washington has already collected numerous preseason accolades, which includes being named to the Preseason AP All-America team and a unanimous preseason All-Big 12 selection. He has also been named to several preseason watch lists such as the Walter Camp, Maxwell and Biletnikoff Awards.
James Washington will wear the black and orange for one final season in 2017, but his legacy among the Oklahoma State faithful will remain intact for many years to come.
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