Washington running back Jonah Coleman represented the Huskies for the second season in a row at Big Ten Media Days. In a black suit and bowtie, Coleman was wearing a new chain and pendant, along with new grills. The pendant featured his “JC1” logo that he’ll be using for his brand. Coleman is coming off a 1,000-yard season for the Huskies and will be the feature tailback in a backfield with two other weapons.
Jonah Coleman’s Podium at Big Ten Media Days
Thoughts on the Offensive Line
“They hang around each other all the time,” Coleman said about his Husky offensive line. “We got older guys in there that are leading the room, and taking young guys under their wing.” A season ago, the Washington offensive line was not fully constructed until very late in the offseason, and Coleman talked about how that made offensive chemistry difficult.
“It was kind of an issue like when you don’t really know your teammate, and you guys aren’t really close, like on a deeper level. I feel like it can kind of hurt you in the long run.” It wasn’t a knock on last year’s group, but rather an observation on how little time the offensive line had to create that bond. “I didn’t meet my starting center last year until June,” Coleman said. “We didn’t practice together until August.” Referring to center D’Angalo Titialii, who committed to Washington in the Spring from the transfer portal, but didn’t arrive on campus until the Summer. Coleman acknowledged how important it is to have cohesion in the trenches.
“[On the] O-Line you have to all be connected,” he said. “One wrong step can lead to something bad.” The group this year returns Drew Azzopardi at right tackle who has over 1,200 career snaps. It also boasts the experience of Landen and Geirean Hatchett at center and guard respectively, and added Carver Willis from Kansas State to fit at left tackle. Willis has over 1,200 career snaps himself. Paki Finau seems like he’ll be the best bet at the other guard spot, but the Huskies have significant depth at the position, including a couple of true freshmen who will very likely rotate in this season. “[Their chemistry] is only going to help us in the long run,” Coleman concluded.
Recalling the 2022 Arizona Class
Coleman thought back to the 2022 recruiting class at Arizona, a group that ranked inside the top 25 nationally. Eight of those recruits now play at Washington, and Coleman spoke to the bond those players had in Tucson and how there’s a similar group chemistry in Seattle.
“I feel like when we were at Arizona it was similar because we spent a lot of time together, we went through a lot of hardships [together],” Coleman began. “When you go through hard stuff with someone and you have 110 people committed to the same goal, you can do anything you possibly want.”
“And that’s just something that we’ve been doing [at Washington], we’ve been spending a lot of time together,” he said. “[We’re] really becoming locked in and like a real brotherhood. There’s no separation in the locker room, it’s all one”
Expectations Out Wide
“I expect a lot out of the wide receivers,” Coleman said at Big Ten Media Days. “I think those guys are going to have a big year. We’ve got a lot of special guys in that group that some people may not even know about.”
The Husky receiver room features the imposing 6’-4” frame of Denzel Boston, alongside the track speed of Omari Evans. Rashid Williams figures to see the field frequently this season after taking the majority of first-team reps and being the first receiver in line running through drills all Spring. Freshmen Chris Lawson, who had a couple of touchdown catches in Washington’s scrimmage, and Raiden Vines-Bright, who hauled in seven catches for over 140 yards and a touchdown in the Spring Game, are also likely to be in the rotation.
Grasping The Entire Offense
In addition to sharing confidence in the Husky receiver room, Coleman discussed how he’s been studying the receiver position in addition to his running back duties. “Learning the receiver stuff is something that I feel like will add another step to my game,” Coleman said. “Because you never know where you can line up in the offense as a running back.”
“When you know the playbook in this offense, there’s a lot that you can do, a lot of big plays that you can make.” There’s an element of creativity that Jedd Fisch brings to the offense with his play calling, and Coleman is the kind of physical athlete who can help execute the playbook. “I’m excited,” Coleman said. “I don’t know what Coach Fisch has in store, but I know it all.”
Main Image: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
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