When L'Courtney Washington woke up for work on Monday morning, he was surprised to see his brother, L’Damian Washington, had been promoted from offensive analyst to interim receivers coach at Oklahoma.
In a group text, L’Damian sent L'Courtney and his two other brothers the statement Sooners head coach Brent Venables released late Sunday regarding his promotion following former receivers coach Cale Gundy’s resignation. That’s the only contact L’Damian’s brothers have had from him since.
As L'Courtney’s day at his job near Columbia, Missouri, progressed, he and his other brothers were seeking further details regarding L’Damian’s new role but the messages went unanswered.
However, when L’Damian goes silent, L'Courtney isn’t worried.
“I know exactly what he’s doing,” L'Courtney told OU Daily on Monday. “I don’t even have to talk to him. I guarantee right now he’s coming up with something to prepare himself and get ready for the season. I bet he’s getting his mind right and he’s sharpening his brain. I know him like a book, and that’s probably what he’s doing.”
At OU’s fall camp practice on Monday, L’Damian helmed the receivers group by himself for the first time. He commanded players and led drills, at one point using a stick with a boxing glove attached to simulate a defender trying to jar the ball out.
Oklahoma interim receivers coach L'Damian Washington during a fall camp practice on Aug. 8, 2022.
L’Damian, 31, is fairly new to the coaching ranks, as he spent six seasons chasing his NFL dreams after graduating from Missouri in 2014. After being cut seven times from NFL rosters and spending time in the CFL, AAF and XFL, he got his start in college coaching as Missouri’s director of player development in 2020.
Before that, though, his first job at the end of his playing career was as head coach at West Middle School in Columbia.
L'Courtney, who volunteered on the staff to help L’Damian amid limited resources, watched his brother transform a historically weak team into a city champion in 2019.
“I watched my brother (inherit) a team full of misfits, soccer players, guys that didn’t want to play football, guys that wanted to play football (and) a team that hadn’t won in years,” L'Courtney said. “Every game was like, 70-0, 60-0, consistently. In his first year, the first two months or so of the season was all about discipline. And then those kids went out and won a city championship. It was almost like a ‘Little Giants’ story. It was crazy.”
L’Damian also demonstrated his leadership qualities as a student-athlete with the Tigers from 2010-13, where he recorded 1,735 career receiving yards with 15 touchdowns in four seasons. During his senior year, he was voted one of Mizzou’s four captains and his head coach at the time, 2022 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Gary Pinkel, wasn’t surprised.
“I knew he would end up being a part of this and being a leader for us at that highest level,” said Pinkel, who can usually guess who his players will elect as captains, and said L’Damian was an easy choice. “It wasn’t a surprise because L’Damian was a great team player. He’s a great competitor. He gets along with everyone, but yet, he strives for excellence in everything he does.”
L’Damian inherits a receivers room of mostly players recruited by Gundy, such as Marvin Mims, Theo Wease, Jayden Gibson and Nicholas Anderson. Gundy, who has spent over 30 seasons as either a player or coach at OU is beloved by former players, too; many of them tweeted supportive statements following his resignation.
For L’Damian, especially as a first-year assistant for the Sooners, the transition to building belief in the room could prove difficult. However, those who’ve seen him earn trust before believe he can do it again.
“One of his greatest assets is his relationships,” Pinkel said. “First of all with all the other staff, but certainly with his future players, because that’s hugely important. First thing he’s gotta earn is trust. And he understands that.
“For him, he just wants to have his players well so they can win, and have his players be the best they can be.”
L’Damian has been dealt a difficult hand his entire life. When he was 6, his father was murdered in a homicide in their hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. Nine years later, his mother died from a stroke at one of his basketball games, the same year his best friend was also killed.
L'Courtney, 19 at the time and raising his first child, served as L’Damian’s legal guardian for the final three years of high school until L’Damian eventually signed to play at Missouri. The four siblings, led by L'Courtney, struggled to keep the lights on at times.
But L’Damian persevered, just as he will in his present situation, those who know him best say.
“Every time he’s down he inspires someone else to get back up,” L'Courtney said. “That’s what I love about him. … We’ve been going through it our whole life. When our mother passed, we had our lights off. We never had to go house-to-house or anything like that, but it was terrible. It was horrible.
“We had to turn to men overnight. He’s been a man since he was 15 years old.”
That’s just another reason why those close to L’Damian think he’s ready for the task at hand. It was proven by his decision to avoid distractions, opting to ignore his phone while he grows comfortable with his new responsibilities.
And that’s what Pinkel would’ve wanted from his former pupil, who he said is like a son to him.
“Him getting the job, he has no control over that at the end of the day,” Pinkel said. “That’s what he’s gotta focus on is taking care of his business and making those players play the best they can play and helping them.
“He’s got so much going for him. Who knows how far he can go as a coach.”
