Amier Washington looking to develop from Independence Bowl breakout

Coming off a breakout performance in the Independence Bowl back in December, Texas Tech's freshly minted field edge rusher Amier Washington looks to carry his development after the strong performance in Shreveport.

A night with four tackles and three sacks, Washington's breakout came out of nowhere to most, gaining the chance to break into the lineup after Myles Cole opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft.

"It was pretty big for me, I wasn't really a DT guy," Washington said. "So as soon as I got outside, I already knew what I was doing pretty much. I played an edge all my high school life."

"I feel like another reason they moved me because I was under weight. I was like 270 at the time and they wanted me to get to 280 and I couldn't get there, I was struggling to put on weight."

Washington seems to feel more comfortable at his natural position as a defensive end, echoing excitement when the coaching staff decided to move him from the interior ahead of the Texas game on Thanksgiving weekend.

"It felt amazing," Washington said about his performance in Shreveport. "I proved to them that I can play outside and that I can do it really well."

Now under the direction of defensive ends coach CJ Ah You, Washington looks to develop all around, but especially as a pass rusher, a part of his game that he believes must improve, despite the strong performance in the bowl game.

"During the bowl game, I really wasn't that good of a pass rusher yet," Washington said. "I got my sacks off stunts, the pass rush reps during practice were shaky."

"I would say everything right now," Washington said when asked about what specifically he wants to develop. "I'm still like a little rusty because I only played in one game and didn't really have much experience in this outside linebacker role. So Ah You's trying to get me right on everything."

Washington, who will have the opportunity to become a massive part of the Texas Tech edge rusher rotation, is ready to make an impact after two seasons of development in Lubbock.

"My goal is to continue to get better at what I'm doing and actually make an impact instead of sitting around and doing nothing."