STARKVILLE — Jason Washington finds himself using the word “anticipation” a lot these days.
For the Mississippi State running backs coach, it’s the key tenet of this offseason’s instruction: preparing his players for the defenses they will face.
“This is what this front is trying to do to you,” Washington has explained. “This is what these linebackers are trying to do to you.”
It’s a worthwhile lesson and one that Washington said his running backs have begun to learn.
But Washington himself surely must be feeling some anticipation these days.
Washington is in his first year coaching running backs — not just at Mississippi State but at any level. He was moved from coaching safeties at the end of January, a decision by head coach Mike Leach that Washington initially questioned.
“I was surprised a little bit,” Washington said. “I was like, ‘Are you sure?’”
Leach certainly was, shaking up not only Washington’s position but those of nearly half his assistants. Former running backs coach Eric Mele took over as special teams coordinator, Matt Brock dropped special teams duties and assumed command of all linebackers, and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett took on Washington’s role with the safeties.
Despite his surprise, Washington stepped right into his new role and has embraced a transition he called “awesome.”
“Learning the Air Raid system and being a part of it is just going to personally enhance my career and give me an opportunity to be on the other side of the ball and learn that,” he said.
Washington said he’s drawing on his time as a running back in high school, the only time he’s ever played or coached the position. He joked that players do often respond with “whatever” when he tells them about his experience “back in the day” in the 1990s in San Antonio.
“It gives me a little bit of credibility,” he said. “I’m trying to find the film, but it’s all in black and white, so that makes it kind of hard right now.”
Washington also has help from Mele, who coached the Bulldogs’ backs for the past two seasons. With their offices situated directly across from each other in the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, Washington said he can yell to Mele for help without having to leave his chair.
And sometimes, he needs to.
“Eric’s done an unbelievable job with those guys the last two years,” Washington said. “He’s been a great help for me as well.”
Mele arrived with the rest of Leach’s staff in 2020, when running backs Dillon Johnson and Jo’quavious Marks were both freshmen. The duo made a leap last season, with Johnson rushing for 485 yards and Marks accruing 416 in an offense that ran fewer than any other FBS team.
Washington said both have improved their game, boning up on exactly what Washington hoped for.
“They know the system,” he said. “They know it well. They know what to do. Now, let’s enhance your game just a little bit and understand defenses and what guys are trying to do to you.”
The same holds true for redshirt freshmen Ke’Travion “Bull” Hargrove and Simeon Price, who entered 2021 with promise but did not see much — if any — time on the field.
Price suffered an injury last season, but Washington said he’ll be full go by fall camp. The running backs coach praised Price’s willingness to learn in the classroom and teach others on the field.
The speedy Hargrove, meanwhile, is being instructed not to overthink. Washington said the less the Ruston, Louisiana, product thinks, the faster he plays and the better he does.
“It was good getting him back out there and watching him run,” Washington said. “Now we’ve got to concentrate on some of the little things like keeping those pads down and that type of stuff. Bull can be as good as he wants to be once he concentrates on some of the little technique issues.”
Washington said it’s been “fantastic” learning to coach offense after a career spent instructing the secondary. He hasn’t refrained from letting his former charges hear it in practice from time to time, either.
“Of course, me being on the other side of the ball, I’m talking trash to the defensive guys and giving them a hard time,” Washington said. “Of course, they’re talking back to me.”
Maybe it’s a sign Washington is in the right place.
He certainly thinks so.
“The transition’s been fun,” Washington said. “It’s been great. I can’t thank Coach Leach enough for giving me this opportunity and also these running backs, so it’s been good.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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