Washington making waves in transition to football

Alex Washington’s breakout moment came just four games into his high school football career for Mountain Brook.

But the 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback isn’t your normal football rookie.

Washington has been a key member of the Spartans’ powerhouse basketball program throughout his high school career, but he finally decided to give football a try over the summer heading into his senior year.

His athleticism jumped out to head coach Chris Yeager and, as soon as he learned the defensive assignments, he became a starting cornerback. Washington’s emergence has helped the Spartans get off to a 7-0 start at the time of press. 

His big plays in the 24-14 win over Spain Park on Sept. 14 were monumental. First, Washington scooped up a fumble forced by teammate Clark Griffin inside Spain Park’s red zone and took it the short distance to the end zone, cutting the Spartans’ deficit to 14-10.

On Spain Park’s last drive, Washington intercepted a pass in the end zone with three minutes left, preserving the win.

“I tell you what, having Alex, he’s legit,” Yeager said. “He’s a heck of a player.”

Washington played little league football against teammate A.J. Gates and others, but his first love has always been basketball. 

His mother Yolanda, citing dangers of the sport, didn’t want him to play football and was begging him up until the first game to change his mind. His father, Chris, was going to support him either way.

“He didn’t want to have the, ‘would’ve, should’ve, could’ve,’” Chris Washington said. “Everyone’s saying he looks like an athletically-built [player], with a 6-foot-5 wingspan. When you hear that enough, you want to try that out.”

In the end, it was Alex Washington’s decision, but he certainly had some persuasion from his friends.

“There were a lot of people trying to get me to play for a long time,” Alex Washington said. “I just said I’d give it a shot and see where it takes me. I wasn’t even expecting to play this season.”

His high academic success, including a 28 on the ACT and a 3.9 GPA, already garnered him basketball interest from Ivy League schools such as Brown and Yale. With colleges yearning for more height at the cornerback spot, it only increases his options after high school.

He said Purdue and Harvard reached out initially, and he received his first football offer from the University of West Georgia in mid-September. He has since garnered an offer from the Air Force Academy as well.

“He’s got a good future ahead of him in football if he wants it,” Yeager said. “Somebody’s going to get a steal in him. He’s got NFL-type measurements.”

Washington will worry about that later. For now, he’s busy trying to help Mountain Brook win games. The Spartans have clinched a playoff berth and Washington will play a role in how deep they advance in the postseason.

“I’m starting to love [football], too,” he said. “I’ll have to make a tough decision.”