Polk Talks Decision to Transfer to Washington
It took less than a week for Ja’Lynn Polk to find his route out of the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound true freshman wide receiver made himself available to college programs on January 25 when he entered the portal after one season at Texas Tech.
It was a productive campaign for Polk, who played in all ten games for the Red Raiders and finished with 28 receptions and two touchdowns totaling 263 yards. Among first-year receivers Polk had the best drop grade of any player in the country (88.6) according to Pro Football Focus.
That productivity resulted in three Southeastern Conference schools reaching out once Polk entered the portal, along with a couple from the ACC and other conferences. An old teammate also reached out, Caleb Berry.
“He was just like, ‘you want to make that happen?’” Polk said.
Berry, 6-foot-2 and 210-pound running back, played with Polk at Lufkin (Tex.) from 2018-19 where the two formed a dynamic offensive duo. Berry signed as part of the 2021 recruiting class in December and proved to be a rather vital connection in the Huskies’ efforts to secure Polk.
After Washington head coach Jimmy Lake, offensive coordinator John Donovan and wide receivers’ coach Junior Adams contacted Polk, it was clear to him where he wanted to go.
What made him feel secure in his decision, ultimately, was the staff and their focus on relationships.
“One of the first things when we started talking, before we got to the process of me making my decision, they were about building relationships,” Polk said.
“So, we started building relationships. After that – after communicating for so long – and them letting me know how the offense is ran, how they do things around there. That’s what made me want to make my decision.”
On the flip side, what lies behind the numbers reveal more about a player than any stat could. For Polk, his attention isn’t on the result but the process to achieving it.
How they do things down in East Texas is exactly why Lake and Donovan brought Berry, and now Polk, 2,200-plus miles to the Pacific Northwest. To elevate the standard.
“We come from the same expectation of the train of athletes that come out of Lufkin,” Polk said.
“We set each other to a standard. When we set each other to that standard everybody else around us feeds off of it. That’s kind of what I was thinking we could do to help build on what they have going already.
Polk will arrive in Seattle, at least on the field, ahead of the rest of his classmates in terms of on field production.
UW played two of its three freshmen receivers in 2020, Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze. The two recorded seven combined receptions (14 targets) and 88 yards receiving in four games.
With the loss of two upperclassmen, Ty Jones and Jordan Chin, to transfer since the season concluded the addition of Polk should offset some of that lost production. Polk will enroll at the school in March and participate in spring football practices.
Even though Polk won’t have his former teammate with him until fall camp, he offered up an appetizing visual for what to expect when the two do hit the field.
“Whenever it’s time for us to make a play, we’re going to make a play. That’s where we come from,” he said.
“That’s how Lufkin made us. We’re made play-makers. Just being a good teammate, being a good leader. Being somebody that, we know for a fact, they’re going to go out on that field and make a play. So, just having that on the field and having that type of energy coming in to the same energy. Just building off that you can do something great.”