Rome Odunze Oct 14, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze (1) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks in the late fourth quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

There is nothing that creates chaos quite like a college football coaching search.

As he sat on his couch watching Jason Bourne with his son, rumors started circulating that Dan Lanning, the head coach of Oregon, was on a plane to Tuscaloosa. It was speculated that he was going to take over as the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide following the announcement of Nick Saban’s retirement on Wednesday.

And while we now know that was nothing more than speculation — it fueled the fear of Oregon fans for the better part of 12 hours — until Lanning put the kibosh on the rumors. But still, college football fans had their fun. And so did Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze, who could very well declare for the 2024 NFL Draft in the coming days.

The future first-round pick saw Ducks fans fretting Lanning’s possible departure and, well, decided to stir the pot with a lighthearted ultimatum in a Space on X (noted for their college football impact) discussing the news: behave, or I’ll stay and haunt your nightmares for another year.

Near the end of Odunze’s appearance on the Space, a host said. “Alright, brother. We’re tired of you catching passes. It’s time for you to go.” Odunze replied “Y’all better be nice to me, or I might come back for another year just to do it.”

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Odunze tormented Oregon with 100-yard receiving days in both their meetings this season, hauling 16 receptions for 230 yards and two touchdowns. With Washington falling to Michigan 34-13 in Monday’s National Championship, Odunze finished what could be his final season with 92 catches for a nation-leading 1,640 yards and 13 touchdown receptions.

Hats off to Oduzne for injecting some humor into what will be an offseason filled with madness. For now, Oregon fans can take solace in the fact that the coaching carousel that’s gone through Eugene has stopped spinning — for now.

In the meantime, Fox’s Joel Klatt said that he would be “pretty surprised” if Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer weren’t the next head coach at Alabama. So, if news breaks tonight that DeBoer is en route to Tuscaloosa, don’t be surprised if Oregon receiver Troy Franklin appears in a Huskies’ space filled with panic.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.