The freshman running back showed up for University of Washington spring football and demonstrated he could play almost immediately.
Twelve months ago, this was Tybo Rogers, a promising 5-foot-11, 185-pound newcomer from Bakersfield, California, who enrolled early, wore No. 20 and went on to play in 12 Husky games, more than any other first-year player.
Today, this is Adam Mohammed, who is taller, heavier and faster than Rogers, and as chiseled as anyone who carries a football for the Huskies — or plays anywhere on this football team.
He’s a 6-foot, 200-pound freshman from Glendale, Arizona, who pulls on No. 24 and, had Rogers not been charged with a serious crime, suspended indefinitely and had his college career put in great jeopardy, Mohammed stood to press him for his spot and maybe leapfrog past him. However, they lasted just two practices together before Rogers’ legal troubles became public.
On Saturday, Husky coach Jedd Fisch was asked for players who had impressed him this spring and he rattled off five names, mentioning the running back who signed with the coach when he was at Arizona and then followed him to Washington.
“Adam Mohammed has really stood out to me,” Fisch said. “He certainly doesn’t run like a freshman, He certainly doesn’t look like a freshman.”
No he doesn’t. Whether sprinting down the field or jogging to the locker room, Mohammed has turned heads with his impressive physique. His arms and legs are notably muscular, especially for some who should be finishing up high school in the Phoenix suburbs.
In the Huskies’ third spring practice, the freshman gave everyone the first real glimpse of his advanced skill set when he caught a quick out pass in the right flat from fellow freshman and Arizona product Demond Williams Jr. and zipped 70 yards up the sideline to the end zone, racing past veteran safeties Kam Fabiculanan and Makell Esteen.
In the eighth UW practice this past Thursday, Mohammed took another pass in the right flat from Williams and showed off his impressive burst by racing 49 yards to score.
This is a guy who rushed for 5,180 yards and scored 94 touchdowns in his four-year career at 5A Apollo High School, averaging 11.4 yards per run as a senior, so he’s used to churning out big numbers.
Adam Mohammed (24) has fit in well with the UW running backs.
Skylar Lin Visuals
With Tybo Rogers out of the mix, and veterans Cam Davis and Sam Adams II coming off injuries and prevented from having contact, Mohammed has been given far more opportunity to run and catch the ball than probably anyone envisioned this spring, himself included. He’s moved past senior Daniyel Ngata and runs behind only Jonah Coleman when the Huskies line up for scrimmage plays.
While the UW has several highly rated freshmen arriving in Montlake this spring and summer, beginning with 4-star quarterbacks Dermaricus Davis and Williams, Mohammed could prove to be a real find for the Huskies right away, bulging biceps and all.
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