Here's Where Williams, Coleman Rank Among Big Ten Backfield Tandems

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated May 20, 2025 3:34 PM ET

The question was posed by what appeared to be a neutral source on whether the University of Washington's Demond Williams Jr. and Jonah Coleman potentially could be the best quarterback and running back combination in the Big Ten.

It was time to do some digging.

From a pure speed standpoint, it would be difficult to find someone faster at quarterback than Williams, with Coleman notably remaking his body this offseason and showing himself to be much quicker as well.

However, we turned to the numbers from 2024 to get a better picture of this and Williams, though he largely was a reserve quarterback last season, did enough to put him and his veteran running back among the top five statistically of returning Big Ten backfield tandems.

Williams, a mere two-game starter, finished 20th in the 18-team conference in passing by completing 82 of 105 attempts for 944 yards and 8 touchdowns, with one interception. It should be noted that his teammate, the Huskies' departed Will Rogers and an 11-game starter and taking a bulk of the season snaps, finished 12th in passing.

Coleman, now packing a more robust 5-foot-9, 223-pound frame and looking ready to run coming out of spring football, will aim to improve on a 1,053-yard, 10-touchdown rushing season. He ranked eighth in the Big Ten and is one of just three returning 1,000-yard rushers.

So who's the competition for the top backfield pair in the conference?

Is this the best QB/RB combo in the Big Ten? pic.twitter.com/beKfpTKGrH
— Big CFB Energy (@BigCfbEnergy) May 13, 2025

Clearly Penn State has some big-numbers guys, beginning with quarterback Drew Allar, a 3,327-yard, 29-touchdown passer, and not just one 1,000-yard rusher but two of them. Allar finished as the Big Ten's No. 3 passer.

The Nittany Lions return running backs Kayron Allen, who piled up 1,102 yards and 8 TDs on the ground, and Nicholas Singleton, who provided 1,099 yards and 12 scores, both exceeding Coleman. It should be pointed out that Allen and Singleton appeared in more games, 16 and 15, respectively, in Penn State's playoff run.

Those two runing backs finished fifth and sixth in the Big Ten in rushing, just ahead of Coleman, who was two and three slots behind them.

Two other Big Ten backfield combos to consider are at Nebraska and Illinois.

Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Railoa comes off a freshman season in which he threw for 2,819 yards and 13 TDs, with a wieldy 11 interceptions mind you, to rank seventh in the Big Ten in passing. His top returning back is Emmett Johnson, who finished 20th in the league with 598 rushing yards.

At Illinois, Luke Atlmyer returns from a 2,717-yard, 22-TD showing in 2024, ranking him ninth in the Big Ten, while his top back in Aidan Laughery is back after his 589-yard rushing season that left him 21st in the conference.

As far as being the best in the conference, the Huskies' Williams and Coleman potentially rank right up there, but they will have to pick it up statistically this coming season to surpass Penn State's big-numbers players.

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This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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