Not many people pay attention to offensive linemen.
It's a weird paradigm because offensive linemen are – more often than not – the largest people on a football field and – better yet – five of these grand gentlemen stand next to each other before the start of every play. But any coach worth his headset will tell you that a good offensive line is one building blocks to a championship team.
So, it made perfect sense when Florida Memorial University head football coach Tim "Ice" Harris announced this past January that former NFL offensive lineman
Brandon Washington would be the team's offensive line coach.
Harris said that bringing in Washington to coach the Lions' offensive line has been a huge win for the program.
"To hire Brandon and work with him has been great," Harris said. "It's just been a blessing to have watched him grow up – from high school, in college, then to see him play in the pros. Now to have him join our coaching staff, it has made us better every day."
"His knowledge of the game…the level at which he knows the game and the offensive position is just a huge thing for us to have him here," Harris added.
Bright, Strong, Talented
Washington's path to the sidelines began with him on the field.
A native of Miami, Florida, Washington was considered one of the top offensive linemen in South Florida and the country through his preps career – which began at Miami Edison and concluded at Miami Northwestern.
At Northwestern, Washington was a part of the Bulls' 2007 mythical national championship team while he became the No. 147 overall rated player in his graduating class.
The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Washington chose to stay close to home for college, playing for the University of Miami – becoming an All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection during his sophomore season with the Hurricanes.
The then-Miami offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland spoke highly of Washington.
"You talk about a bright kid, he's very, very intelligent," Stoutland told reporters in 2009. "You only have to coach him once…he's not going to [make a mistake] next time. He can play tackle, center. He's extremely bright and he's also a strong kid."
Bright, talented, and strong, Washington became a 2012 draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles. He had his best years in the NFL with the then-St. Louis Rams – where he spent three seasons. Washington would ultimately spend seven years playing football professionally, joining the Canadian Football League (CFL) – playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts, where he was a part of 2017 Grey Cup Championship team.
Washington also played for a season with the Massachusetts Pirates of the National Arena League.
It was during that seven-year span that Washington says he learned the nuances of playing in the trenches.
"I was able to learn from some of the best offensive line coaches while I played in college and in the pros," Washington said in January shortly after being named FMU's offensive line coach. "Guys like Jeff Stoutland, who coached me at the University of Miami before he went on to coach national championship-winning offensive lines at Alabama and a Super Bowl-winning O-Line with the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, I learned a lot from Jonathan Himebauch during my time in the CFL."
"Now, I'll have the chance to give teach those lessons to the offensive linemen at Florida Memorial University," Washington added.
Teaching The Game
In Washington, FMU's offensive line will be taught by someone who not-that-long-ago had and achieved the dreams of playing football at its highest levels and can impart the knowledge that comes along with that success.
"I'm extremely blessed that my first coaching job is not only at the college level, but that it's here in Miami, at an HBCU, and that it is working with Coach Ice [Harris] and the rest of this staff," Washington said in January.
"I played against Coach Harris [during high school], played for him [at the University of Miami], now I have the opportunity to work with him. The type of guy he is and the way that he does things – the right way – and how respected he is just speaks volumes," Washington said.
"You see it even down to his sons – they're great people. He's someone that I want to always be around and learn from…now I've finally joined forces with him."
Joining forces with Harris at Florida Memorial means his goal is to turn the Lions into a championship-caliber football program. To do that, Washington knows that the play of FMU's offensive line will be paramount – and he'll lean on all that he learned during his playing career and teach that to the Lions' O-Line.
"At the pro level, it's all about competition," Washington began. "It's about mindset and attitude – things that carry over to from the game to everyday life. I want to make sure that our offensive line is tough – mentally and physically – and able to focus on the task at hand. The offensive line is a team within the team…those five guys steer the ship."
For all that Washington can teach to the Lions' O-Line on the field, he can impart that much more off the field.
"When people see our offensive line, I want them to see I want them to see a group of guys that are giving it their all. I want them to see an offensive line that is prepared and takes pride setting the tempo for the rest of the squad," Washington said.
"But more importantly, I want them to see young men that are taking advantage of all opportunities. Football is a gift. It doesn't owe you anything. Everyone loves football but it doesn't love anyone. So, I want them to take full advantage of the gift."
