Future Arizona running back Jordan Washington is 'pure energy, quickness'

LOS ANGELES — When you have a player like Jordan Washington, you can score touchdowns in a blink of an eye.

OK, maybe it’s not that quick, but it certainly felt like that was the case whenever the future Arizona running back touched the football in the “CA-91 (a highway in L.A.) Gridiron Game” between Long Beach Jordan High School — the same school that produced Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen and “Leap by the Lake” Wildcat quarterback Ortege Jenkins — and Compton High School.

Washington, nicknamed “Panther” by athletic director and forensics science teacher Lamar Biffle, had five touchdowns in Jordan’s 46-20 win over Compton, which dominated time of possession, but whenever Jordan took over on offense, it became Washington time — and he effortlessly maneuvered through the secondary.

“He’s dynamic,” said Jordan head coach Jon Nielsen. “It’s pure energy, quickness. Those things come by once in a lifetime — those talents. Arizona got a good one. ... Jordan is just special. You put the ball in his hands and you see what happens.”

Four of Washington’s touchdowns were receiving touchdowns. He ended the night with seven catches for 265 yards.

This season, Washington has a balanced 605 rushing yards and 527 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns. Using the 5-10, 170-pound speedster in the passing game has been a point of emphasis for Nielsen, “because that’s what they’re going to have him do at Arizona.”

“It’s very interesting how they use running backs,” Washington said. “How I played today, they really use running backs like receivers over there. I want to be able to do three things: block, catch and run. They use running backs extremely well and they don’t use one guy. They rotate between running backs and give them a shot and see who can really ball.”

Washington “struggled (to learn how to become a receiver, because I was kinda new to it.” Now he compares his multi-level skillset to NFL greats Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and former Los Angeles-area star De’Anthony Thomas.

“When I first came in, all I did was run the ball. ... Every summer I’ve been working on my hands every day, catching the ball and stuff, and that’s what we’ve been doing most of the time since I’ve been here,” he said.

Washington, who committed to Arizona over Oregon, Washington State, Colorado State and San Jose State, among others, is rated by 247Sports.com as a four-star prospect; Rivals.com rated him as a three-star running back. Arizona will lose two running backs in Michael Wiley and senior DJ Williams this season, leaving Jonah Coleman, Rayshon Luke, Brandon Johnson and Tucson native Stevie Rocker as returning scholarship running backs. Washington is one of two running backs in Arizona’s ’24 cycle, along with Glendale native Adam Mohammed.

The Wildcats are also recruiting Jordan quarterback Jarret Nielsen, a 2025 prospect who also has an offer from the UA baseball team to play shortstop, and ‘25 cornerback Jaymari Redmond.

“I had plenty of other great schools that offered me and it was a hard choice for me to choose,” Washington said. “But when I first went to Arizona, everyone is looking for that one particular thing: it’s family and welcoming you like you’re one of their own. When I got there, it wasn’t just the coaches, players. They welcomed me to their homes and they didn’t just show me their character inside football, but outside of football. They kept it simple and showed me that I had a home there.”

Since the start of his recruitment, Washington has developed a close bond with UA running backs coach Scottie Graham, who was on the sidelines of Jordan’s win over Compton, when the Wildcats were in L.A. for the USC game earlier this month.

“That’s my man,” Washington said of Graham. “That’s my guy. He’s the best role model I have in my years being at Jordan. From far away, he’s been teaching me stuff, sending me (biblical) verses every day, telling me to keep my head up, especially during hard times.

“I’m excited that he’s going to work with me as soon as I get over there. I’m happy to be committed to the University of Arizona. ... He calls me once in a while to see how I’m doing, making sure me and my family are good. We’ve talked about my future and what I want to do outside of football.”

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When Washington isn’t competing in football, he’s running track. As a junior, Washington finished second in the California 100-meter state championship with a time of 10.24 seconds. Washington never took track seriously until he became a high schooler and began training with Jordan track head coach Sharaud Moore.

“He’s really blessed me with getting stronger and getting faster on the field,” Washington said of Moore. “I can’t thank him enough for that, for these three years. When I first started running, it was really hard and then I got hurt. But we build and learn how to build our body up. Over the years I’ve done everything to get as fast as I can. As soon as I got to my sophomore year, the speed really started to kick in.”

Track is one secret to Washington’s success on the football field.

“Many kids ask me how did I get so fast or how I got so explosive. It’s because I ran,” he said. “I’ve been training my bones off to get like this on the field, because it will help on the field. Many guys that ran track with me explained to me, ‘When I ran track, it helped me on the field. I’m more explosive and I can get to the ball faster.’ So if you want to be an A-tier player or the best player, you have to run track.”

And excel in the classroom to have good enough grades to remain eligible, too. When Washington first started high school, academics weren’t a priority, and his grades were a reflection of his motivation.

“It wasn’t because he was incapable, he just didn’t do it,” Biffle said.

Washington had dedicated the last two-plus years to improving his grade-point average (GPA). Then a path to graduating from Jordan early to enroll at the UA this upcoming spring opened up, which meant summer school.

“I asked him, ‘Are you going to be ready for this?’ He said, ‘Yeah, Mr. Biffle, I’m ready,’” Biffle said.

“He’s ready to move out of Long Beach and start his life at Arizona,” Biffle added. “Four courses was a lot for him to take and he didn’t know if he could get through the four courses, so we were just encouraging him to take those courses on and don’t give up.”

Washington “practiced, (then) had to go home and study and do all that stuff” for the entire summer. But it’s paid off, and now Washington is on pace to have a near 4.0 GPA this semester, according to Biffle.

“I had to do like four or five classes and just get it done and have this opportunity to leave,” Washington said. “I’ve been very focused this year in terms of my grades and stuff. Anything I have to do, I will do and get it done. I don’t really have time. When I do have time, I just sleep and sometimes hang out with my people.“

If Washington joins Arizona early, he’ll miss his senior track season, but he’s not too upset about it.

“At the end of the day, I love both of my sports. Track is fun. If anything, the first thing I ever did in my life was football,” he said. “That’s the sport I’ve always wanted to play and I hope that people understand that. I just hope people respect my decision at the end of the day.”

When Washington arrives to Arizona, “I’ll be able to play as good as I am now on the next level,” he said.

“I’ve done it my whole life. Every single level I played at, I always played like this,” Washington said.

“I’ve been a top dog in everything I’ve done. ... As I see myself going to Arizona, I feel like I’m going to be great.”