Former Husky wide receiver Jeremy Bernard has announced his return to Washington

The return of Jeremy Bernard.

A year after the four-star wide receiver signed with Washington and then re-emerged at Michigan State, Bernard announced Saturday that he is transferring back to Seattle. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound wide has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Bernard initially signed with UW last December, but was let out of his NLO after wide receivers coach Junior Adams abruptly left for rival Oregon. The Henderson, Nevada, native and Liberty High School native followed his high school quarterback — Katyn Houser — to Michigan State, where he recorded seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns while appearing in all 12 games as a true freshman this fall.

But bridges were not burned in Washington.

“He’s an amazing kid and he’s had an insane time,” UW coach Kalin DeBoer said in September. “He was an early affiliate and I would wish him nothing but the best. He’s a great kid, he’s a great footballer and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him…and he’s already made some plays for them.”

“There was a lot going on, not just with myself but with the attitude coach changes. He was trying to figure out where to go and it was for a short period of time and it was all happening very quickly.”

In Bernard’s absence, Washington’s No. 12 offense ramped up—thanks to the nation’s largest passing attack. Third year receivers Roma O’Donzi (70 catches, 1,088 yards, 8 TD) and Galen McMillan (71 catches, 1,040, 8) became the first teammates at UW to surpass 1,000 yards in the same season. Redshirt freshman Ja’Lynn Polk added 38 catches, 649 receiving yards and six more scores.

Of course, three of Polk’s touchdowns came in a convincing 39-28 home win over Michigan State on September 17th.

Meanwhile, Bernard failed to score a catch.

While I’m probably wondering what it could be.

“I think he’s a guy who probably wouldn’t have done much at UW this year either, because of the three guys they’ve got,” said Brandon Hoffman, national recruiting editor for 247Sports. “He came with the understanding that, hey, he might have a chance to play if a receiver left (to the NFL). But this offense is a lot better than what (MSU offensive coordinator) Jay Johnson is trying to run.”

Bernard was rated a four-star recruit, the No. 5 player in the state of Nevada and the No. 38 wide receiver in the class of 2022 by 247Sports. He compiled 107 catches for 1,904 yards and 35 total touchdowns in two college seasons at Liberty and was named the 2021 Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year.

As Hoffman said, both Odunze and McMillan are currently considering NFL draft decisions, while standout quarterback Michael Bennix Jr. plans to return for a sixth season in 2023. He — four-star Rashid Williams and three-star Keith Reynolds — is expected to sign with Washington. next Wednesday.

(2023 four-star Taeshaun Lyons announced a verbal commitment to UW Friday, but he may wait until February to sign a National Letter of Intent.)

After reloading at wide receiver, the Huskies will play at Michigan State next fall.

With a new (and old) team in tow, Bernard will be back on the bridge.