It may be an odd time to be hiring an offensive coordinator, but that is the situation at Central State, an HBCU Division II program in Ohio. But they took the opportunity to make a big splash by hiring former Florida State running back Leon Washington to take over the important role.
This isn’t the first big splash that Central State has made during the off-season. First, they hired Tony Carter as their head coach. Also a former Seminole, Carter then went on to enjoy an eight-year NFL career. Carter made some noise by hiring Santonio Holmes as the wide receivers coach. Holmes played his college football at Ohio State, before totaling more than 6,000 receiving yards in the NFL.
As for Washington, he excelled at Florida State from 2002 to 2005. Overall, he rushed for 2,041 yards and 12 touchdowns while grabbing 55 receptions for 481 yards and one touchdown. He also returned punts and kickoffs, which helped him become one of the more explosive players in the country.
Drafted by the New York Jets in 2006, he established himself as one of the top return specialists in the league. He also played with New England, Seattle and Tennessee, while making two Pro Bowls and being named to two All-Pro Teams.
After retiring, he began his coaching career in the NFL with Jacksonville, Atlanta, Detroit and then the Jets. He had been out of football since the conclusion of the 2023 season, but now returns to the sidelines at Central State.
Coming off a 1-9 season there is plenty of room for improvement at Central State, and now they’ve added another piece to a coaching staff that has the potential to make things exciting.
