Mohammed Remains In Husky Waiting Room, Ready to Check In

The freshman running back brings plenty of intrigue to Saturdays these days.

Adam Mohammed looks for room to run against Eastern Michigan. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Gather 100-plus players together for a University of Washington football practice, and everyone brings a certain modicum of talent just as a calling card just to get on the field, whether he's working off a scholarship or not.

Most of these guys next need to patiently work their way through the system, wait for others to graduate and diligently make sure their bodies become strong enough for when it's time to step in against a bunch of heavyweights to hit and be hit.

What's unexpected is when someone such as running back Adam Mohammed comes along.

This 6-foot, 212-pound newcomer from Glendale, Arizona, appears to be so gifted he's ready to go against the grain of all of that aforementioned protocol and play a much bigger role. Even the most novice football fan sitting in Husky Stadium on game day can sit back and tell you this guy is elite.

While he's run the ball just five times in two games, he's provided an ample sample size of what he's capable of doing. He popped a 32-yard gainer on his second carry in the season opener against Weber State and a 14-yarder on his first try against Eastern Michigan last weekend. He averages 13 yards per rush.

What complicates his situation is the Huskies' No. 1 running back Jonah Coleman isn't bad either after supplying a pair of 100-yard rushing performances while averaging just 13.5 carries a game. Add to that Cam Davis, Coleman's back-up, a sixth-year senior, a team captain and a highly productive player in his own right, averaging nearly 6 yards a pop.

Mohammed, who turned 18 in May, has people everywhere salivating over the prospect of him carrying a much bigger load.

"I want to see him more, too," Fisch said. "I think Adam Mohammed is going to be special. I'm excited to see where he goes with his career and how good he can be. I think he can be one of the special running backs who have played here."

While Mohammed rushed for a mammoth 5,180 yards and 94 touchdowns in four seasons at Apollo High School in the Phoenix suburbs, somehow all of college football's showcase programs flat out missed on him.

He never heard from the previous Husky staff. He chose Arizona over the likes of California and Boston College, graduated early from high school and spent two and a half weeks going to class in Tucson. He left for the UW when Fisch did.

In April, he showed up for spring football practice with bulging running-back biceps and thighs reminiscent of Bo Jackson. He guesses that he has 4.5-second 40 speed, but he's probably faster than that.

"I love the pro-style offense they run," Mohammed said.

Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) hands the ball to running back Adam Mohammed (24) during the second half against Eastern Michigan. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

He's a slasher when coming through the line, bouncing off people with great balance. He offers an impressive burst when he gets into space. His running-back coach Scottie Graham, himself a former Ohio State and NFL running back, says the freshman could start now for a lot of other teams across the country.

The only unknown is how soon will this happen for him with the Huskies. As Fisch points out, there are only so many carries to go around on game day and Coleman, in picking up 104 yards against Eastern Michigan last weekend, did it in only 11 rushes.

Adam Mohammed shows off his muscles in spring ball. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Still, the temptation remains for the Husky football coach to totally unleash his prodigy on someone just to see what happens, but he knows better. For now, they'll use Mohammed in snippets.

"For us, we have to let him grow, let him mature, let it happen normally or organically," Fisch said, before adding, "and see if there are opportunities for us to hand the ball to him more."

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