Washington Football: 5 breakout candidates for 2017

Washington’s backfield has to be regarded as the best in the Pac-12, right? I mean, you have Myles Gaskin returning for his junior year after he put up 1,373 yards and 10 touchdowns but everyone seems to forget about senior Lavon Coleman.

Gaskin is more of the speed back, standing about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds while Coleman is about 30 pounds heavier and can make defenders pay for attempted arm tackles. Like McClatcher’s 2016 season, you could have dubbed Coleman’s a breakout year, but he has just scratched the surface and he’s under the radar completely.

As a freshman in 2014, he rushed for 565 yards and a touchdown but averaged a measly 4.1 yards per touch. The next season, he averaged 5.3 yards per carry, but only played in nine games and had 33 rushed for 176 yards. His numbers were dwindling.

Not expecting much in 2016, fans were pleased to see him carry the ball 114 times for 852 yards and seven scores. He averaged 7.5 yards per carry and really cemented himself as the 1B to Gaskin’s 1A.

In his final year, the expectations are high. He could break the 1,000-yard mark and he might be the biggest surprise breakout star in the Pac-12.