LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Rome Odunze, a Bishop Gorman High School graduate and former University of Washington wide receiver, is adding another honor to his resume.
He's teaming up with Chipotle to unveil his own bowl, which will be featured as a digital menu item on the Chipotle app and Chipotle's website for a limited time.
Odunze said he found his love for football at a young age.
"I was seven. When I was six, I lost every single game. But [the next] year, I started winning and I thought this was actually pretty fun."
He added he loved growing up in Las Vegas and that he's proud of where he comes from.
"Las Vegas, Nevada is the best entertainment on the planet," Odunze said. "There's a lot of great people in Vegas. It has its own unique culture. It's new. It's fresh. It's diverse."
He said the Nevada weather also prepared him for the future.
"They don't have indoor. It's hard. You're grinding in 115 [degrees], the turf is probably 130-135," Odunze said. "There's a progression with everything. Everything is goal-oriented."
In high school, Odunze was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada in 2019. He was also the MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year that year. During his high school career, he had 121 receptions for 2,699 yards and 31 touchdowns.
He also earned All-State honors as a junior as Bishop Gorman won a state title in 2018.
For his college career, Odunze played for the University of Washington, where he also won multiple awards. During the 2023 season, he set a UW record with 1,640 receiving yards, which was the most in the nation that season and the third-most in Pac-12 history. All of that was while playing with a fractured rib and collapsed lung.
Odunze is one of the few football prospects who has been invited to be in Detroit at the NFL Combine live and he is projected to be one of the top 10 picks in this year's draft.
He also shared the field in Washington with Liberty High School grad Troy Fautanu, who is also projected to be picked in the first round.
You can watch the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Channel 13, starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 25.
