Husky Running Back Corps Keeps Getting Younger

Scottie Graham normally is a guy with a lot of energy, demonstrated by him regularly posting his personal jogging routes across Seattle on social media, urban runs that aren't short distances by any means..

Yet three spring practices in, the University of Washington running-backs coach might be more than a little winded as he works with only young players this month in trying to find somebody to carry the football next fall for long gainers.

By the end of Saturday's workout, the UW was down to only freshmen and redshirt freshmen, including a converted cornerback, after sophomore Jordan Washington -- the No. 1 runner entering this spring -- was shaken up and taken from Husky Stadium by an ambulance in a precautionary move to get checked out.

The 5-foot-10, 181-pound back from Long Beach, California, later posted that he was OK.

Jordan Washington catches a pass in Saturday's spring practice. | Dave Sizer photo

Yet his momentary absence underscores the task ahead for the Huskies -- that it's not going to happen overnight for the Huskies to find ready replacements for Jonah Coleman and Adam Mohammed, now preparing for the NFL Draft and playing for California, respectively.

"Control your God's gift!" Graham shouted as he sent his guys through cutting and fumbling-prevention drills before Saturday's 11-on-11 scrimmaging began.

Quaid Carr was the most senior member of the UW running back corps when practice ended as a redshirt freshman. | Dave Sizer

Even before he got hurt, the speedy Washington was limited to runs of 0, 3, 0, 3, 0 and minus-5 as the defense held the upper hand in the spring's first padded practice before he was injured trying to stop an interception runback by Virginia transfer Manny Karnley.

Conversely, redshirt freshman Quaid Carr, No. 2 in the pecking order, had runs of 15, minus-1, 7, 0, minus-3, 8, 0 and 2 as the aggressive Husky defense for the most part clamped down on him, as well.

Freshman Brian Bonner Jr. is getting indoctrinated to UW football. | Dave Sizer photo

Freshman Ansu Sanoe, redshirt freshman walk-on Ryken Moon and redshirt freshman Julian McMahan each drew a carry and went 1, minus-1 and 2 yards, respectively. Freshman Brian Bonner Jr. and redshirt freshman D'Aryhian Clemons, the converted corner, didn't have scrimmage-time carries on this day.

Sanoe and McMahan are near carbon copies of each other with fullback-sized frames. Sanoe from the Portland suburbs is listed at 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds while McMahan from San Ramon, California, goes 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds.

Graham, newly promoted to assistant head coach, touts the speed of his young guys as something that will offset their youth.

"They're extremely fast -- we could probably win the 4X100 NCAA [track] title," he said of Washington who runs 100 meters in 10.2 seconds, Bonner 10.4 and Carr 10.5. "They're moving. They're different. One of them will step up."

Meantime, Oregon senior transfer Jayden Limar, who recently had ankle surgery, watched practice while kneeling on a cart used for his recovery. Troy senior transfer Trey Cooley, recovering from knee surgery, hasn't joined the Huskies yet. These older guys won't take part until fall camp.

As they say, the pitchers are ahead of the batters right now.