wlayton, you and I had some discussion about Washington several months back. Looks as if we were on the right path in our thoughts. I truly believe that Cornelius can be a great defensive end. Also like his attitude on doing whatever the coaches want him to do. There is a lot of character on this team.
Dogs freshman DE Washington has speed, size
By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/08
Athens — Asked if his reputed 10.9-second, 100-meter time was legitimate, freshman defensive end Cornelius Washington informs a reporter that he'd been \"hand-timed at 10.6.\" But why quibble over a few nanoseconds? The bottom line is that Washington is very fast.
And getting bigger all the time.
The 6-foot-4 Washington weighed 217 pounds when he signed with the Bulldogs out of Burke County last February and got up to 224 pounds while working out with the team in Athens over the summer. As of this weeked, Washington said he's up to 235 pounds but that position coach Jon Fabris wants him to be \"up there pretty high, like 260.\"
His secret to weight gain so far?
\"Coach T (Joe Tereshinski) told me to go to the dining hall every morning and get a big plate full of eggs so that's what I've been doing,\" Washington said. \"That and pumping up in the weight room.\"
Obviously the Georgia coaching staff is excited about having a player with such a combination of size and speed. And it would appear from the No. 83 jersey Washington was allotted that they're keeping options open to play him on either side of the ball. However, Washington said he has had no discussions with coaches about getting a look at tight end, where his speed would be an obvious asset.
For now the plans are to keep Washington at his preferred spot of defensive end, where he said his speed also offers advantages.
\"Mostly in pass rushing,\" he said. \"If I get off the ball there's pretty much nothing a tackle or a tight end can do to stop me.\"
Meanwhile, Washington is getting work on four special teams units: kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return. So whether or not to redshirt him could be a tough call.
\"It's iffy,\" Washington said. \"Whatever the coaches decide is what I'll do. I'm just doing the best I can.\"
