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Pair of Former Washington Football Players Turned Down NIL Paydays to Stay With Team
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- Pair of Former Washington Football Players Turned Down NIL Paydays to Stay With Team
(Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)
The Washington Huskies football team had several players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, which was indicative of the talent the team had on the roster last season.
Among the Huskies '26 draftees were two players who led the squad in impressive offensive categories: wide receiver Denzel Boston and Jonah Coleman .
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Boston, who was selected in the second round of the draft by the Cleveland Browns , reeled in 62 passes for 881 yards (14.2 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns. His receiving yards and touchdowns led Washington last season.
Coleman, who was picked in the fourth round of the draft by the Denver Broncos , ran the ball 156 times for 758 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns. His rushing yards and touchdowns were the most on the Huskies.
Both Coleman and Boston had slightly different journeys before becoming team-leaders both statistically and in the locker room.
Boston was originally recruited by former Huskies and current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, but barely received game time and was low on the depth chart due to sharing a wide receiver room with other talented pass catchers, including fellow NFL wideouts Ja'Lyn Polk, Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan , among others.
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Boston finally received his opportunity when current head coach Jedd Fisch head coach was signed ahead of the 2024 season. He had over 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns in his final two years of college ball.
Coleman was originally recruited by Fisch when he was at the helm of the Arizona Wildcats. The now-Bronco played two seasons with the Wildcats but followed Fisch in the transfer portal to Washington.
Both players flourished in the Pacific Northwest under Fisch, but there were apparently opportunities for both to go elsewhere in their final year of college ball.
Ahead of the team's appearance in the Sun Bowl at the end of the 2024-25 season, both players confirmed they had received NIL offers from programs trying to entice them to enter the transfer portal.
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According to a story published by Luca Evans of the Denver Post profiling Coleman, multiple offers exceeded $2 million, with some potentially paying them $500,000 more than what they earned in their final years with the Huskies.
Rather than take the payday, they chose to stay in the Pacific Northwest, showing their faith in Fisch and the rest of the coaching staff.
Part of the history of college football has included successful programs building a culture that entices players to stay and develop. In the modern era of college sports with the transfer portal and NIL deals, that's become harder for even blueblood teams to do.
Fisch and the rest of his coaching staff seem to have created an environment where players want to stay and play. It hasn't been perfect. The team's second-leading rusher from last season, Adam Mohammed, transferred to Cal and junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. originally signed to return to the team, opted to enter the transfer portal anyway and reversed his decision to enter the portal.
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In the same breath, sophomore cornerback Dylan Robinson Jr. returned to take his spot as starting outside cornerback, replacing '26 draftees Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis , and the team returned four-of-five starters on the offensive line. The only player on the line who left was Carver Willis, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers .
The Huskies have gone from 6-7 to 9-4 in their two seasons under Fisch to this point. And the culture he's created, including the one that incentivized Boston and Coleman to stay, could lead the team to taking another step forward next season, largely off the backs of their returning players.
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