Jonah Coleman being left off Top 10 college football running back list explained by Greg McElroy

This offseason, college football analyst Greg McElroy put together a list of the 10 best running backs in college football. That didn’t include Jonah Coleman of the Washington Huskies, though, who just missed making his list.

McElroy explained leaving Coleman off his list on Always College Football. There, the major knock he was able to find is Coleman’s lack of threat in the passing game.

“There’s not much that this young man can do better,” Greg McElroy said. “He can probably get a little bit better maybe as a pass catcher. He’s not a guy that has been outrageously productive in the receiving game. He did have 23 catches, but he’s yet to reach the end zone last season. But, if you look at kind of where he was down the stretch, most of those receptions happened in the first couple games of the year. So, if you look at how he can continue to grow, how he can continue to get better, I think that’s the last part for Jonah Coleman’s development that can make him a three-down back.”

Outside of the passing game, Greg McElroy is incredibly high on Jonah Coleman for his blend of speed and strength. That’s why if he can grow as a pass catcher, he could make a major leap forward and become a potentially high NFL Draft pick.

“We know he has speed. We know he has great strength. We know he’s got tremendous vision. This is a guy that is fantastic. I mean, really, really fantastic,” McElroy said. “And it was nice to see that he decided to come back because I think he could be a top of the draft guy this upcoming year.”

In 2024, Jonah Coleman rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns. That was on an average of 5.5 yards per game. He also had 23 receptions for another 177 yards. Along the way, he’d earn Third-Team All-Big Ten honors.

“Now, we’ll see exactly where it all goes. This is a guy that can make you miss. He’s got some wiggle,” McElroy said. “And he also does a pretty good job in the open field when he showcases some of that top-end speed. Over 1,000 yards and, according to one particular publication, I had read that he had a 35 percent missed tackle rate, which is pretty sporty… Either way, when I watch him, you don’t get him to the ground. First defender doesn’t often succeed in bringing him down. So, we’ll keep an eye on Coleman’s continued progress, but don’t lose sight of what he could do this year, their second year at Washington in the Big Ten.”

Jonah Coleman played two seasons at Arizona for head coach Jedd Fisch before following him to Washington. Now, they’re looking to put everything together in 2025 for another massive season.