After helping Georgia win two consecutive national championships, it came to a close end DarnellWashington is gearing up for his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who picked him No. 93 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. According to one report, an SEC rival did everything possible to stop Washington from participating in Athens.
According to the Knoxville News-Sentinal, former Tennessee assistant Brian Niedermeyer spent most of the 2020 cycle violating NCAA regulations in the pursuit of the former five-star player, stealing him $750 in a parking lot in cash to fly with Washington on his official visit; and he gave gratuities of $1,713 to Washington and his family on unofficial visits, including free lodging, free meals, and Tennessee clothing. While Tennessee was getting its last official visit, Washington was still signing Georgia. The findings were revealed in documents concerning Niedermeyer’s negotiations for a five-year show trial. He was fired on parole in January 2021, as was head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who received a six-year sentence Friday when Tennessee learned of the penalty for hundreds of NCAA violations.
Washington started in 14 of 15 games for Georgia in 2022, catching 28 passes for 454 yards and 2 touchdowns while showing himself to be one of the best blockers in the country. Washington went into 2022 with high hopes but suffered a major setback during spring training when he sustained a foot injury that forced him to miss all of spring training. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart He later said Washington was in the best form of his career before the injury and the junior spent the next few months getting back into shape. In the season opener against Oregon, Washington proved it was worth the effort. Washington shone against the Ducks by catching two passes for 33 yards, including a 25-yard reception late in the first quarter that saw the Bulldogs’ big man deflect a tackle before overcoming the Oregon defender Bryan Addison.
The performance against Oregon essentially set the tone for Washington, who quickly carved out a starting position alongside their tight end peers Brock Bowers and ultimately he started in 13 of the Bulldogs’ 14 games this fall. Washington caught multiple passes in eight Georgia games this season. He had a personal best 5 receptions, 60 yards and 1 touchdown on November 12 against Mississippi State. Washington was also a very willing run blocker, which proved very helpful to Georgia as they again proved capable of getting the job done on the ground.
Many thought Washington’s season actually ended on December 31, when he injured his left ankle in the first half of Georgia’s Peach Bowl win over Ohio State. Washington couldn’t practice in Athens but did try in the 65-7 National Championship win over TCU, catching 1 of 2 targets for 28 yards and blocking on an offense that ran for 254 yards and five touchdowns. It would be the first and only game his mother and family attended.
A foot injury slowed Washington down in 2021 before Bowers made a strong showing as the team’s top tight end. In the end, Washington had just 10 receptions for 154 yards and one score in 11 games, with the touchdown coming on the first play of the second quarter of the 2021 SEC Championship game against Alabama.
Washington arrived in Georgia as a five-star signee and showed what he was capable of early on. He started seven games of his true freshman season in 2020 and had seven receptions for 166 yards, including three receptions in Georgia’s season-ending Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. Washington left Georgia with 45 receptions for 774 yards and 3 touchdowns.