Inside The Huskies

Coleman Makes Himself Noticeable at Big Ten Media Event

The Husky running back also was named to an all-conference team.

Dan Raley

Jonah Coleman is surrounded by Carson Bruener and Kamren Fabiculanan at Big Ten Media Days.
Jonah Coleman is surrounded by Carson Bruener and Kamren Fabiculanan at Big Ten Media Days. / UW

Jonah Coleman entered Big Ten country as somewhat of a football unknown, but he left with a reputation as someone who carries himself with style and carries the ball similarly with distinction.

On Thursday in Indianapolis, the University of Washington running back drew plenty of comments and camera shots at the preseason media event when he made the rounds in a sharp-looking gray suit that came with the following accessories: oversized jewelry emblazoned with his name, expensive sunglasses and the latest in sneaker footwear.

"Everything was going to go together because it got sparkles," Coleman told Ashley Adamson of the Big Ten Network and formerly of the Pac-12.

The Arizona transfer, looking extra stout at 5-foot-9 and 229 pounds, continues to endear himself to everyone he encounters while preparing for his junior year after finishing up in Tucson as the team's leading rusher with 892 yards on 128 carries, which pencils out to a 6,8-yard per carry average that ranked him second in his former conference.

While he was glad-handing inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Coleman emerged from the cavernous NFL facility and site of the Big Ten championship game to something that no doubt made him do a double-take.

While the Huskies are rebuilding nearly the entire team, and generally getting ignored for individual accolades because of all of that upheaval, Coleman no doubt walked into the sunlight to learn he was named to an All-Big Ten team, no easy feat for a running back in the typically rush-heavy conference.

Sports Info Solutions {SIS}, which advertises itself as an NFL and college football data-producing organization, singled out Coleman and Rutgers' Kyle Monangai, a 1,942-yard, 14-touchdown runner, as the league's top two backs on its All-Big Ten team, with those two sharing a backfield with Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

"Jonah is one of the best players, one of the running backs, in college football," Fisch said.

Fisch also revealed the California native had just made the Dean's list with a 4.0 grade average from the previous quarter.

The coach and the player, together in Arizona for two seasons before turning to the UW, appear to have an unshakeable bond. Fisch wasn't going to Washington without him as far as both were concerned.

"it was just kind of a decision that i made when I committed to him in high school when he was 1-11," Coleman said Fisch's debut season for the Wildcats. "It was all the vision he had, trusting the process he had, being in the pro system. All of that falls in line when I found out he left, there was no question I I was coming with him because of the relationship we got ... I love him, that's my guy."

Coleman is off to a good start for the UW, saying all the right things, as well as dressing for Montlake sucess.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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