DB Donald Washington III (Official Thread)

[osugrad21]

DDN

Buckeye freshman a rare Indiana gem

By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
COLUMBUS ? Indiana may not be known as a football state, but Ohio State defensive back Donald Washington is doing his part to change the culture.
The redshirt freshman from Indianapolis returned a fumble 48 yards to set up the Buckeyes' opening TD in a 24-7 win over Texas. And he believes at least a few folks from his home state were tuned into the nationally televised game.
"There's not too many guys from Indiana that get to come and play for a place like Ohio State," he said. "I know they're all proud of me. They tell me that a lot."
Washington was one of nine new defenders in the starting lineup for the Buckeyes. But after lassoing the Longhorns, he and his cohorts no longer feel like raw recruits stepping off the bus at boot camp.
"It gives everybody a lot of confidence," Washington said. "We feel we can play with anybody as long as we execute our assignments."

 

[jwinslow]

OSU Picture Archive

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I would say Donald is doing pretty good for only having offers from not what some would call a who's who of Programs.

Here were his other offers besides us:

Wisconsin, Stanford, Duke, Miami (Ohio), Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky.

 

[coltsfan16]

nice pics.

 

[BuckeyeBiz]

I would say Donald is doing pretty good for only having offers from not what some would call a who's who of Programs.

Here were his other offers besides us:

Wisconsin, Stanford, Duke, Miami (Ohio), Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Your absolutely right. Another great find like Malcolm, James, Vernon, and Anderson by Tress and staff. The staff has proven over and over again that they find the right players for the system and actually develop them.

 

[sandgk]

I would say Donald is doing pretty good for only having offers from not what some would call a who's who of Programs.

Here were his other offers besides us:

Wisconsin, Stanford, Duke, Miami (Ohio), Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Worth remembering that coming from a state in which football takes a backseat to Basketball Washington had good measurables, (6-2, 185, 4.45 - 40). Plus he has toughness, played the entire junior season with a broken foot. Despite that injury he netted 800 yards in receptions and 13 TDs. His senior season all he did was go two-way and pulled in 4 picks, with two going for TDs, which added to another 800 yard, 10 TD performance on offense. Oh, and he was state champion in the long jump, as a sophomore, underscoring his innate athleticism and speed.

And we call Washington a find? What boggles the mind is how kids like this get overlooked by recruiting staffs that only seem to follow star ratings.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

With an offer list that included Stanford and Duke he's not likely to hurt our team GPA anytime soon.

 

[OSUsushichic]

Donald is a perfect example of why we need to trust the staff when it comes to recruiting. They know how to find the hidden gems!

 

[Onebuckfan]

Donald is a perfect example of why we need to trust the staff when it comes to recruiting. They know how to find the hidden gems!

I agree totally. Some players mature later and then some are maxed out coming out of HS. It's funny to me how the recruits we had to "settle" for end up being better than the 4 and 5 star recruits we "missed" out on.

 

[lvbuckeye]

Donald is yet another example of the fact that despite star rankings, if Tressel offers a kid, he's a stud...

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Donald is a perfect example of why we need to trust the staff when it comes to recruiting. They know how to find the hidden gems!

And so does BP - we were on DWIII before anyone else.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Donald and a few of the young players obviously played well, and I commend Tressel's decision to recruit them. However, we should wait for a few big 10 games until we put them up on a pedestal. They are still very very young players and have a lot to learn, and no one should be surprised if a couple of them have tough games down the road.

 

[OSUsushichic]

And so does BP - we were on DWIII before anyone else.

Well, good thing we passed on WWIII.

 

[jwinslow]

OSU Picture Archive

Donald Washington #20 of Ohio State brings down James Hardy #82 of Indiana October 21, 2006 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

 

[BrianO]

I hope he is ready to play if Smith is out.

If Smith couldn't play, nickelback Donald Washington would likely become the No. 2 corner while freshmen Andre Amos or Kurt Coleman could step in as the fifth defensive back on passing downs.