New RB Jonah Coleman already key leader for UW Huskies

Jul 27, 2024, 10:31 AM | Updated: 10:36 am

Jonah Coleman runs with the ball while playing for Arizona during a 2023 game. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

(Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

UW Huskies Insider

INDIANAPOLIS — UW Huskies running back Jonah Coleman got his first set of grills in high school, his teeth covered by 18-karat gold, and he’s been wearing them during games ever since. Prior to his sophomore season at Arizona, Coleman upgraded to the VVS diamonds he flashed during his appearance at Thursday’s Big Ten Media Days.

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“I wasn’t sure if I was going to wear the diamonds (to play) when I got ‘em,” he said. “Then I was like, ‘YOLO.’

“It’s just part of the drip, part of the swagger, part of me.”

So is the gleaming chain around his neck, purchased this offseason in Atlanta to denote his new jersey number — No. 1 — at his new school, where Coleman already has established as one of the Huskies’ most important players and personalities.

New coach Jedd Fisch recruited Coleman out of Stockton (Calif.) Lincoln as part of the Wildcats’ big-time 2022 class. Actually, Coleman committed all the way back in March of 2021, prior to Fisch’s first season in Tucson, which Arizona finished with a 1-11 record. They go back. That connection — plus Coleman’s relationship with running backs coach Scottie Graham, whom he refers to as “one of the smartest people I know” — is why Coleman became the first Arizona player to follow the coaching staff after Fisch’s move to Washington.

It’s also part of why Coleman was in Indianapolis this week as UW’s lone offensive representative. Fisch wanted to bring linebacker Carson Bruener and safety Kam Fabiculanan for their connection to the program’s past. He brought Coleman, he said, because the junior tailback would best explain how Arizona improved to 10-3 by Fisch’s third season there, “and why’d we all come here, and why did he pick up and come first.”

During his opening remarks on Thursday, Fisch mentioned that Coleman had finished the previous academic quarter with a 4.0 grade-point average. Coleman said he’s studying education with an option in sports management. In some ways, he’s already teaching. There might not be another player more important to Fisch’s goal of recreating Arizona’s team culture at Washington.

“He wasn’t telling me it was my job — I knew it was my job,” Coleman said. “That’s just the relationship that we’ve got. That’s going to be part of our success. I have to step up. I have to let them know how things are going, how things are ran. That’s just how it’s going to be. I took on that leadership role, and I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of letting the guys know, helping people out, trying to let the guys know how things are going to be.”

As his high-school coach once said: “Every team has that guy that the players gravitate toward, and he was that guy for us.”

Focus on team building

With 44 new scholarship players this season — and 13 new transfers who didn’t participate in spring practices — Fisch said team-building has been a priority. The Huskies brought in author and leadership guru Brad Deutser to work with players in what they call their “fifth-quarter room,” linebacker Carson Bruener said.

“He really just makes us dig deep,” Bruener said, “and think deeper than what you would normally just give the normal answer to.”

The other day, Bruener and his roommates hosted a team gathering, and another player recently hosted a barbecue.

The get-to-know-you stuff is a greater priority this year than last, when the Huskies returned most of their starting lineup and spoke openly throughout the spring and summer about chasing a national championship. They knew what kind of team they had.

“There’s a different vibe to it because it’s a different team,” Bruener said. “New coach, new everything. We kind of have new mottos, new sayings. We’re getting a new weight room, we’re getting a new player lounge. Our food’s different. But at the end of the day, our goal is the goal. Now, instead of a Pac-12 championship, it’s a Big Ten championship, and on top of that, it’s a national championship. That’s something we continue to talk about.”

It’s just that last year, Bruener said, because of their familiarity, “it was more like, ‘all right, we’re focused on this.’ Right now, at this time, we’re focused on really getting together before camp starts.”

It should be a competitive few weeks; Fisch noted the Huskies could have 21 new starters when they face Weber State in their opener. Some of those positions — three or four spots on the offensive line, edge rusher and cornerback, in particular — appear wide open. Others are already occupied. You need only hear Fisch describe Coleman as “one of the best running backs in college football” to know which category he fits into.

A bruising runner, Coleman said he relishes the opportunity to face competition in what he described as “a defensive conference.” Asked what he knew about Iowa’s program, for example, Coleman replied: “I know Iowa is a physical football team, and they will punch you in the mouth if you don’t bring it.”

Maybe it’s why former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told him this spring, at one of the several practices he attended: “I love watching you.”

Coleman rushed for 871 yards and 6.1 per carry at Arizona last season. That was good enough for an overall rating of 86 in the new College Football 25 video game. This displeased him.

“My guy plays just like me. He catches the ball. He runs through people. The first guy won’t tackle him. I’m proud to say that,” Coleman said. “But I’m not proud about my overall (rating), even though he plays better than what his overall is.”

Also: “I’m actually not happy about my guy fumbling. They make my guy fumble a lot. I’ve never had a fumble in my college career, so my fumble (rating) should be on zero.”

Odds and ends

– Asked if it was his first time in the city, Coleman said that it was, and “it’s not my last time, either. I’ll be back.” Was this a prediction that Washington will play for the Big Ten title? Or a nod to the NFL scouting combine?

– While Coleman will carry the ball quite a bit, Fisch mentioned sixth-year senior running back Cam Davis among players who made big gains this offseason. “Sometimes I talk about our running backs,” Fisch said, “and I forget because we haven’t been able to have Cam participate in a rep. Cam Davis is going to be a fantastic football player for us.”

– Anyone else? Here’s Fisch: “Deuce (Russell) Davis has gained 15, 20 pounds. That’s really important, because I think he’s going to be an electric defensive end for us. Isaiah Ward is in a good spot. I understand that (Zach) Durfee has just had an incredible offseason of working out while he’s trying to rehab from his forearm. Logan (Sagapolu), who transferred from Miami, is a monster in the weight room. Looking forward to a nose tackle that can just get inside a center and walk him back. I’ve heard really good things. Jonah Coleman’s done a great job.”

This article was originally published at OnMontlake.com, the home for Christian Caple’s full UW Huskies coverage. Subscribe to On Montlake for full access to in-depth UW coverage.