The surprise was spoiled by Jonah Coleman’s Pop Warner coach. 

Before the season started, the Junior Delta Kings had been allowed to choose nicknames instead of surnames for their uniforms. Jonah, who was 10 years old at the time, declined to share which name he’d picked with his father, Jamon Coleman. So Jamon was shocked when Jonah’s Pop Warner coach revealed the name during a phone call. 

Mr. Unstoppable. 

“I couldn’t believe it,” Jamon said July 2. “I was like, ‘Dude, you know you just put not just a name, but a whole target on the back of your jersey?’ But he was like, ‘Yes dad, I like the pressure.’” 

Added Jonah, “That was the first nickname I gave myself.”

More than a decade later, Jonah Coleman is living up to his self-styled moniker for the Huskies. The senior running back leads the nation in touchdowns rushing, points total, touchdowns total and scoring through three games. He’s second in all-purpose yards per game and eighth in yards rushing per game. 

Coleman’s early exploits have launched him into contention for being one of the best running backs in college football. On Saturday, Coleman has a chance to establish himself further in the conversation when he leads Washington against No. 1 Ohio State for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Husky Stadium. 

“The last three games were games we were supposed to win and supposed to dominate,” Coleman said Tuesday. “It’s not surprising it looked the way it looked. So just trying to be consistent and keep it going each week.” 

Coleman’s performances for the Huskies (3-0), on and off the field, have already garnered some national attention. He was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy on Wednesday. 

Often called the Academic Heisman because it’s awarded to a graduating senior or graduate student who holds a grade-point average between 3.2 and 4.0 while being a major contributor to their team, the Campbell Trophy has never been won by a Husky player since its inception in 1990. Former defensive back Elijah Molden remains UW’s only finalist for the award. Fisch campaigned for Coleman to win the Campbell award Thursday. 

“When you look at (the term) student-athlete, he epitomizes it,” Fisch said. “A 3.91 GPA, dean’s list, going to graduate in four years — and that’s after transferring and losing some credits — still making sure he graduates before preparing for the NFL draft. Leads the Big Ten in touchdowns. Not from an area where there’s a lot of college degrees in his family. 

“He’s going to be the first one, and he’s going to be getting that degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. So for Jonah, I don’t know what else the Campbell award would be looking for.” 

The Campbell Trophy, however, might not be the only postseason award Coleman will be in contention for by the end of the season. 

The 5-foot-9, 220-pound running back was named a preseason candidate for the 2025 Doak Walker Award, given to the country’s top tailback. He earned the award’s first running back of the week honors after his 177-yard, two-touchdown performance against Colorado State on Aug. 30. 

Coleman tied the program’s modern record with five rushing touchdowns in a single game against FCS-program UC Davis a week later. He registered the first 100-yard receiving game of his career to help Washington win the 117th Apple Cup on Sept. 20. Junior wide receiver Denzel Boston said Coleman has already solidified himself as one of the country’s best running backs. 

“Over the course of three weeks, he has 10 touchdowns,” Boston said. “That’s the same amount of touchdowns he had last year. So I think that just speaks for itself.”

UW’s history with the Doak Walker Award goes back to the beginning. Former Husky Greg Lewis was the inaugural winner of the award in 1990 after rushing for 1,434 yards and eight touchdowns. Since then, no UW running back has replicated the feat. Despite the strong stable of tailbacks who’ve followed Lewis in purple and gold, including Napoleon Kaufman, Corey Dillon, Chris Polk, Bishop Sankey and Myles Gaskin, among others. 

Lewis, who co-hosts the Husky Honks as part of UW’s pregame and postgame radio broadcast with former Washington wide receiver Mario Bailey, said he’d already been impressed by Coleman after the past season. He added Coleman’s 1,000-yard season behind a “patchwork” offensive line in the Big Ten as a particularly notable achievement. And Lewis said Coleman’s looked even better this season. 

“He went from last year — being a guy who had good feet in the hole, great balance, good vision and running strong — and now he’s added the lateral quickness and downhill speed,” Lewis said. 

The 1990 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Lewis, who is part of the Doak Walker Award selection committee, said Coleman has certainly put himself in position to be a finalist if he can continue his strong start to the season. He’s averaging 174.3 all-purpose yards per game, and 115.7 yards rushing per game, close to the 119.5 yards per game Lewis averaged when he won the award.

And particularly if he performs well against the top-ranked Buckeyes (3-0).

Ohio State is currently allowing 109.3 yards rushing per game, ranking 41st nationally. Its 3.15 yards rushing per attempt is 32nd in the country. The Buckeyes are one of four teams that still haven’t surrendered a rushing touchdown this season. 

“When I vote at the end of the year,” Lewis said, “and there’s a candidate that has a lot of yards and touchdowns, all that stuff, the one area I go and zero in on is how do they do against the best teams on their schedule.”  

Of course, Lewis acknowledged there’s a lot of season left for Coleman to continue to prove his consistency and more challenges along the way. No. 19 Michigan and No. 6 Oregon remain after Washington’s showdown with Ohio State. Fisch said the Huskies have to play more than three games before any real consideration for postseason awards can be solidified. 

But Lewis has been waiting for another Husky to come along and end UW’s Doak Walker Award drought. He said he hopes Coleman can be the player who does it. 

“In my mind, Jonah Coleman is the next Greg Lewis,” Lewis said. “Why shouldn’t he win the Doak Walker Award?”