Coleman Continues to Receive More National Attention Than Any Other Husky

The thing about Coleman is he was a solid performer in 2024 while running behind a fairly mediocre offensive line.

Often on his own sheer will, he rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had a good year when a lot of guys around him didn't. He should have plenty of support this fall in getting upfield.

Consider that three of the five UW offensive-line positions formerly were filled by three different starters each. He got so beat up at times, Jedd Fisch's staff sat him down in the second half of games at Iowa and Penn State that got out of hand just so he could recover and finish the season.

So now Coleman returns for his senior year with a much suitable set of blockers in Willis, who came for the pro-style offense; center Landen Hatchett, who's fully recovered from his late 2023 knee injury; right tackle Drew Azzopardi, the only 13-game starter returning; and budding stars in Paki Finau, John Mills and Champ Taulealea.

On top of all that, the Husky running back decided to maximize his senior output and NFL options by getting in the best possible football condition. The now 5-foot-9, 222-pound back dropped 14 pounds and cut his body fat by 2.4 percent.

PFF sees Coleman in this manner: "He is a human bowling ball ... with quicker feet than one would expect for his size. The rising senior has averaged 4.6 yards after contact per attempt since 2023, ranking third among FBS running backs, and his 35 percent forced missed tackle rate in that span is tied for second among Power Four running backs."

So basically what PFF is saying is that Coleman was pretty good before, becoming a 1,000-yard rusher pretty much on his own, and now, with his desire to be in peak shape and with some talented linemen all around him, expect to see the 32nd best football player in America running the football with great success for the Huskies this season.

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