Being a 6’7 tall 280 pound five-star athlete coming out of high school definitely lines you up for success, and in Darnell Washington’s case everything is finally coming together. 

The Mack Truck-sized tight end has been building his reputation in Athens since he first stepped foot in the Classic City. He flashed in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati his freshman year and continued to show signs of greatness during Georgia’s 2021 national championship campaign last year. 

Now in 2022, Washington has established himself a vital part of the Georgia offense. He’s been able to make an impact as a leader too, and it’s made way for more productive play on the field. 

For one, the third-year tight end has already caught more receptions and yards than last year, and we’re only in Week 5 of the season. And two he’s learned to love getting his hands dirty moving people in the trenches. It wasn’t always like that though.

At first Washington thought the only way he could contribute and be successful was by being a premier receiving threat like how he was in high school. In fact, things for him and Georgia got shaky his sophomore year with transfer rumors arising in January after winning the national championship. 

But since Coach Smart convinced him that he could be a meaningful player on this team and in turn got him to stay, we’ve been able to see all of what Darnell Washington can do.

Coming off of a career game against Missouri where he caught 3 receptions for 64 yards and put countless defenders in the ground, the college football world has finally gotten a real taste of the damage that Washington can really do. 

In an offense that is down a couple of it’s main receiving threats, Washington is stepping up and stepping in, and the Georgia faithful are more than happy to watch it happen.