True Grit: UW's McGrew Does What's Asked, Needs More Requests

You measure Sean McGrew by the yards, not inches. Intermittent yards.

While he stands just 5-foot-7, the diminutive University of Washington running back has done big things for his team whenever called on.

The Huskies just don't ask nearly enough.

That could change whenever his senior season is played.

With No. 1 back Salvon Ahmed out with an injury, McGrew started against BYU on the road last September and rushed for a career-best 110 yards on 18 carries.

A few weeks later, the normally third-unit running back came off the bench and filled in for injured backup Richard Newton against Arizona in Tucson and rattled off 106 yards on 13 carries.

McGrew provided a 42-yard kickoff return against California, scored on a 22-yard touchdown run against Hawaii and got free for a 37-yard kickoff return against Washington State. He picked his spots for the big play.

He rightfully was impatient early in his UW career. It's not hard to see why. He rushed for 5,762 yards and 76 touchdowns in his career at St. John's Bosco High in Bellflower, California. He has 627 yards and 4 TDs for the UW.

"It's really easy to get down, like, 'Oh man, I'm not playing,' " he said in 2019. "That's kind of how I was at first."

Newton and McGrew enter the upcoming season as the leading candidates for the top tailback job, most likely in that order. The bigger Newton is a prototype NFL prospect, even more so than the departed Ahmed.

McGrew has come to understand he is perceived as more of a role player, even if he doesn't believe it.

"I knew my time was going to come eventually when I was going to have to carry the flag," he said. "I kind of see that as how it is right now."

Vince Coby, who was a breakaway runner for the Huskies in the 1980s and a bigger back, appreciates the smaller guy's total package, even if his size doesn't scare anyone.

"McGrew is a smart runner," Coby said in the video. "I'm excited to see him put in situations to get opportunities to make big plays. He's a tough runner, but a smart player."

McGrew came to Washington as a four-star back after receiving offers from more than half of the Pac-12 teams, beginning in his sophomore season at St. John's Bosco.

A violent runner, he still has a chance to ring up some big ball-carrying numbers with the Huskies, yet he'll have have to fend off Newton for the most playing time. He doesn't think for a moment that he can't.

On his Twitter account, McGrew has the following slogan: "You can run as far as you want, but whatever you're running from is always gonna catch up to you."

That easily could describe him and the other Husky running backs. There will never be much distance between them.

SUMMARY: McGrew, with his pair of 100-yard rushing performances, has shown he can pull a hefty load at the Pac-12 level. Somehow, we don't think he'll be satisfied with that.

GRADE (1 to 5): The gritty, little back gets a 3. He'll be given every opportunity to beat out or share the job with Newton. Don't be surprised by anything he does.