Inside The Huskies

Jonah Coleman Continues to Draw Attention to Himself

The new Husky running back gets singled out twice.

Dan Raley

Jonah Coleman brings a big reputation to the UW backfield.
Jonah Coleman brings a big reputation to the UW backfield. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Quarter grades are in for Jonah Coleman, the Arizona transfer running back now at Washington, and he should be pleased.

In one case, he moved to the head of the class; in another, he made the honor roll.

With fall camp just six weeks away, the 5-foot-9, 225-pound Coleman from Stockton, California, finds his name getting tossed around a lot in different conversations about the top running backs in college football.

On Monday, Pro Football Focus designated him as the top transfer back in the country, giving him a 93.4 grade that's based on a number of variables, among them how well he follows his blockers to make something happen or breaks a long gainer to get free all on his own.

The website Big Game Boomer ranked the game's top 50 ball carriers and slotted Coleman 39th, leaving him 10th among the Big Ten backs on the list from that rush-heavy conference.

Unlike last season, where Husky after Husky was singled out for great things before and after the season, Coleman is the rare UW player on this team to draw outside attention so far.

Coleman is the third transfer in three seasons to take over as the Huskies' lead runner, following Mississippi State's Dillon Johnson and Viginia's Wayne Taulapapa to Montlake, who made their moves pay off with far more rushing yards than they accrued at their previous stops.

The difference is Coleman followed Jedd Fisch and his pro-style offense to Seattle, fully versed on what goes on, whereas his predecessors had to learn what former coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb had in store for them.

While others worry about the UW offensive line and the of staggering personnel turnover, the new running back is fairly straightforward about what he expects. The line will be fine, he said. The team won't be a pushover, he insists.

"We'll be good, I'm not worried," he said. "Trust the process. We'll be good."

Whereas Johnson and Taulapapa arrived at the UW without a 100-yard rushing game -- and they left with four each -- Coleman comes to town with established credentials from his prior stop that included a 179-yard outburst against Colorado and 143 yards against USC last season.

As a sophomore, Coleman finished as Arizona's leading rusher in 2023 with 128 carries for 871 yards and 5 touchdowns. He's made to order for the bruising Big Ten with his thick, compact physique and he's athletic enough to do backflips at practice in full football gear.

"Jonah Coleman, I believe, is probably one of the best running backs in the country. ... He made a huge impact in our program," Fisch said before spring football. "He's an unbelievable pass-catcher. He understands protections. He loves the game of football and he can run the ball at the highest level."

PFF and Big Game Boomer so far have picked up on the coach's message, with maybe more to come.

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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