Jonah Coleman kept his promise to grandma with college degree

New Denver Broncos running back fulfilled a promise to his grandmother before being drafted in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft: his promise to obtain a college degree.

"Just being the first in my family to go to college, and then the first in my family to graduate is something that I take pride in," Coleman said shortly after being drafted by Denver. "Just being able to walk around with that and know that I did that ultimately for my grandma, who I did make a promise to that I was going to graduate and get my college degree. Just being able to be the first in my family to do that is something that means a lot to me."

Not only did Coleman graduate college, he was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, otherwise known as the Academic Heisman. Coleman graduated from Washington with a degree in education.

"Just going through that whole process, the academic staff and working with them and having a plan mapped out that ultimately helped me graduate early and stuff before I went to the NFL," Coleman said. "That also did play a part in why I came back for my senior season at Washington.”

Coleman's senior year was punctuated by a career-high 17 touchdowns from scrimmage, all of which helped him become a better student of the game, and through his studies.

Coleman and his fellow draftees will report for Denver's rookie minicamp this week (May 8-10).

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