You can scan the list of famous athletes from the state of Virginia, and it won’t take long to see how impressive it actually is. Included are the likes of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Smith, current standouts Percy Harvin, and Tyrod Taylor and even NBA legend Allen Iverson. One man looking to climb the ladder on that list is Lions rookie running back J.C. Coleman.
Before free agency even opened back in February, the Lions knew they were in for a change in the backfield. With the expected departure of Andrew Harris to his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the club reacted quickly by signing Anthony Allen and Jeremiah Johnson. Two known commodities and returnee Chris Rainey duking it out for the starting job makes all kinds of sense, right? Based on the first couple days of mini-camp in Kamloops, it may be hard to discount Coleman’s chances of at least making it interesting. The former Virginia Tech standout, and MVP of the 2014 Military Bowl, turned a few heads early on with his speed, cuts and a couple of long runs during team scrimmage play. Consensus among Lions staff is he has been a pleasant surprise for Wally Buono and company.
“We knew coming into the camp he was explosive and had some quickness,” Buono said. “One pleasant surprise was his ability to block and his toughness. “When you have a back who can run like that and protect the quarterback, it’s always an asset.”
Despite the early accolades, Johnson is taking nothing for granted and relishes the opportunity to not only compete, but also learn from the other running backs who will invade Kamloops this weekend. “Even though they brought in Johnson and Allen, I am here to compete and learn from those guys,” Coleman said. “One of the goals for all of us is to make each other better.”
Although being only 5-foot-6 and 192 pounds may not be to his advantage, Coleman makes up for the lack of size with his giant work ethic and superior athleticism. From a young age, he started following and studying the habits of smaller NFL running backs, his favourite being Darren Sproles. “Those guys always caught my eye and gave me the idea that I could play as well,” Coleman added.
And of course, playing for a well-known program in the ACC surely has prepared Coleman for the professional environment. “I really loved it,” Coleman said. “We had 70,000 at every game and it was a whole lot of fun. I’ve been playing since the age of four and always knew I wanted to play pro ball.”
Although the NFL wouldn’t come calling after his senior year, Coleman viewed playing up north as an excellent option after Lions brass attended his college pro day. “They showed heavy interest in me from the start,” Coleman recalled. “Talking to them and knowing what I already did about the CFL I knew
signing here would be a great opportunity. Looking at all the scenery of what Vancouver and BC has to offer made it a great decision as well.”
Replacing the production of Harris will be one of the Lions’ most important tasks as week 1 draws nearer. They certainly have a few options at their disposal in Kamloops, but a non-drafted free agent of Coleman’s calibre no doubt makes the process a little more intriguing.
“There’s reasons you bring all these guys to camp,” Buono said. “Players sometimes excel at different times of camp and you don’t want to jump to conclusions early.”
At the end of the day, Coleman knows what he has to do, and more importantly, knows exactly what Lions fans can expect from him. “Small, quick, explosive, powerful and I’m able to break a couple of tackles too. That’s the identity I want.”
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com