Jonah Coleman
Jonah Coleman is a bright and energetic member of any team, on and off the field. He will be a human highlight reel and a core member of the locker room at Arizona for years to come. While his carries on the field may be limited as a true freshman, his greater impact is imminent. His ability to break tackles and excel in the open field are sure signs that he could be one of the next best running backs in the NCAA. Jonah is proudly represented by Optimal Sports Management.
SHOP NOWJonah Coleman
Class: Sophomore
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’9
Weight: 205
Hometown: Stockton, California
High School: Lincoln
Birthday: 8/20/03
Jonah Coleman is a running back for the Washington Huskies. He is the epitome of a three-down back with his rare combination of size, speed, and athleticism.
During his Freshman season at the University of Arizona in 2022, Jonah rushed for over 300 yards and scored 4 touchdowns. He built off this great year and had an even more productive 2023 season, as he rushed for over 800 yards and scored 5 touchdowns, while averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
Coming out of high school, Jonah was ranked as the #2 all-purpose back in the 2022 recruiting class (Per 247 Sports).
This is evident by his monster Junior year (non-COVID affected season) at Lincoln High School (Stockton, CA) where he played in 11 games, rushed for nearly 1,600 yards (averaged 11.1 yards per carry and scored 30 touchdowns), and caught 16 passes for 324 yards (scored 4 touchdowns).
Jonah Coleman Background
Any way you slice it, the University of Arizona’s Jonah Coleman has the talent to be the next great collegiate running back. Measuring 5’9” and weighing 205 pounds, Jonah Coleman has the ideal physical frame to battle it out against opposing defensive lines. Jonah Coleman attended Lincoln High School in Stockton, California, where he was a four-year varsity starter for the Trojans. His four-year career was highlighted by an exceptional sophomore year, where he gained the majority of his recognition as a physical three-down back. During this season, Jonah Coleman proved he could be a versatile weapon for any offense, as he contributed heavily to both the run game and the pass game.
SHOP NOWCombination of Power and Speed
Jonah Coleman’s rare combination of power and speed makes him comparable to one of the game’s greats, LaDanian Tomlinson.Tomlinson defined a generation of NFL running backs with his accelerative attributes and his ability to truck down his opponents—all of which are traits we see in Jonah Coleman. In multiple highlight reels, Jonah Coleman is seen laying out defenders, sending them ricocheting off to the sidelines on his relentless pushes to the endzone. Clearly Arizona saw the potential for greatness in this young man, as they signed the three-star back very early on.
SHOP NOW
Jonah Coleman Arizona Stats
Over four seasons at Lincoln High School (accounting for his COVID-affected seasons), Jonah Coleman amassed 4,221 total yards––averaging 136.2 yards per game. The year that contributed the most to his totals was his extraordinary sophomore year. During this season Jonah Coleman started in 11 games, tallied 1,587 rushing yards, and a monstrous 30 rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 11.1 yards per carry. To go along with his rushing statistics, Jonah Coleman averaged 20.3 yards per catch and totaled 324 receiving yards, while tacking on 4 more touchdowns. Jonah Coleman is a 3-star running back, and these sensational numbers placed Coleman as the #2 ranked all-purpose back in the 2022 recruiting class. A great pickup for Arizona, indeed. As far as his college numbers go, Jonah Coleman has seen limited time on the field for Arizona. This is not too concerning, considering he is a true freshman. Over 11 games, Jonah Coleman has 69 carries for 324 yards and three touchdowns—all three of which are third on the Arizona Wildcats. Jonah Coleman most notably broke off a 43-yard rush against Oregon earlier this year in Arizona’s loss to the Ducks, which showcased his ability to explode through the line and excel in open space. Aside from this, Jonah Coleman has seen his typical workload be defined by goalline carries.
Jonah Coleman's Plan
It has been nearly a decade since the Arizona Wildcats have had their last star halfback, and they feel that Jonah Coleman is the answer to this long-standing question mark in their offense. Arizona’s last notable running back was Ka’Deem Carey, who was a member of the Arizona Wildcats from 2011-2013. Carey nearly surpassed 2,000 rushing yards in both 2012 and 2013. Ever since Carey left Arizona, they’ve been searching for his successor. While Jonah Coleman has seen limited time in his freshman season, we are expecting to see his carries flourish in 2023. It is common for Arizona to limit the workload of their freshman halfbacks, as we’ve seen over the years. Carey, for instance, had just 91 carries his freshman season, while Jonah Coleman has had just 69 up to this point. Jonah Coleman is on the path to being a workhorse for the Arizona Wildcats in the coming years.
Jonah Coleman's Early Life
Jonah Coleman grew up in Stockton, CA; a city known for its share of social struggles and violence. From an early age, Jonah Coleman was faced with difficult times. He grew up in a large family with seven siblings, and his family frequently experienced financial hardships. Most notably, their family experienced a scare when Jonah’s father was shot. Jonah Coleman claims that growing up in Stockton was a very arduous experience, filled with violence and danger.
He stated in an interview that one can either choose to be violent in the streets, or violent on the field. Jonah Coleman feels that football has been the perfect outlet for him to express his frustrations and his pain. Jonah Coleman knows that he can channel it all into exceptional play on the field.
Jonah's Motivations
Along with being able to express his emotions on the field, Jonah Coleman also has other motivations for football. After seeing his dad recover from getting shot, he felt motivated to be a guiding light for his father. He wanted to give him hope. Jonah Coleman said that seeing his family struggle to make ends meet, and to give their child great opportunities, has motivated him to one day make enough money to give them a better life, where money wouldn't be an issue. Jonah Coleman also spoke upon his role models, including his dad. He talked about how his father found himself involved in gang life during his younger years, and struggled to find a way out. Once Jonah’s father had his children, he knew he could not sustain that life. His dad spent his time keeping Jonah on track with football and school, to ensure that he would not veer off into the same life he lived. He desired a better upbringing for his kids. His father bettered himself to better his family, and that inspired Jonah. Jonah hopes to continue using his inspiration to find success in Arizona.
Jonah Coleman and The Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats have experienced some difficulties in the last few years. In a shortened 2020 season, they went 0-5, and followed it up with a disappointing 1-11 season in 2021. Arizona currently stands ninth in the PAC-12 conference, but have seen significant improvement under head coach Jedd Fisch. Arizona is hoping to lean on their incoming recruiting class, which ranks number one in the PAC-12 conference per Rivals. The incoming class is full of potential stars. The Arizona class boasts five four-star recruits, including the number four wide receiving recruit in California, Tetairoa McMillan. While Jonah Coleman was the second-ranked running back in his class, he has seen 5-fold the amount of carries as his counterpart, Rayshon Luke. This shows that the Arizona Wildcats are looking to Jonah Coleman to turn things around. The good news for Jonah Coleman is that he is stepping into an Arizona program that will need his help from the start. He’s seen a significant load of carries as a true freshman, which is indicative of a much heavier load going forward. By 2023, Jonah Coleman is slated to be the premiere back for the Arizona Wildcats.
How Jonah landed on Arizona
Jonah Coleman was a hot commodity during the 2022 recruiting season. Jonah Coleman had 10 Division I offers to choose from, and he selected Arizona over the other nine. These offers included schools such as Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Fresno State, New Mexico, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State, and Tennessee. Arizona was able to land Jonah Coleman in the midst of tough recruiting competition, and it came about because of the influences he received from the Arizona Wildcats’ coaching staff.
SHOP NOWBiggest influence on the team
As far as Jonah Coleman’s biggest influence on the team goes, he points the finger at the Arizona coaching staff. He shows his graciousness towards the coaching staff, because he believes that they are fully invested in him as a player, but also as a person. Jonah Coleman describes the Arizona coaches as “family.” In an interview with the College Heights Herald, Jonah Coleman said that his biggest reason for choosing the University of Arizona over his other suitors was the way that they recruited him. They spent time getting to know Jonah Coleman, along with spending time getting to know his family. He states that most of his talks with the Arizona coaches did not concern football. They would talk about life and Jonah Coleman’s family–and this impressed him a lot. After coming from such a violent environment during his childhood, he soon came to understand that there was more to life than just football—and it was important to him that the program he chose felt that way too.
SHOP NOW
The last couple decades have shown an increase in early enrollment for collegiate athletes, especially in college football. Jonah Coleman was no exception. Jonah Coleman chose to forego the summer after his senior year of high school to enroll early and begin playing for the Arizona Wildcats. In an interview with the SB Nation community, Arizona Desert Swarm, Jonah Coleman touched upon the impact that his early enrollment has had on his time with Arizona. He says that normally athletes who enroll on time rather than early only get a couple of weeks to become accustomed to the program, and get to know their coaches. In contrast, Jonah Coleman says he had had months to adjust to Arizona, and the Arizona Wildcats program.