THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Two position changes and one injury later, former Coeur d'Alene High star Yankoff finally having a ball at UCLA

Colson Yankoff ran with the football in an actual game last Saturday for the first time in five years — back when he was leading Coeur d’Alene High to the state 5A championship game.

Not as a dual-threat quarterback, as he was with the Vikings, then as a brief commit with the University of Oregon, then as signee with the University of Washington.

And not as a wide receiver, his first position change when he transferred to UCLA in 2019.

As a running back — a 230-pound running back.

Thanks to some injuries to some running backs ahead of him on the depth chart, Yankoff rushed six times for 35 yards, "including an impressive 19-yard run in which he put his 230 pounds to good use by bowling over defenders," wrote Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, in a 45-7 victory over Alabama State on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.

“I have seen Colson come a long way with these injuries, switching positions,” Bruins tight end Hudson Habermehl told The Times, “so it’s really cool to see him get in there and really make some big plays.”

Yankoff also caught one pass for 15 yards.

“I mean, it was a blessing,” Yankoff told UCLA media on Monday, in an interview posted online by UCLA Athletics. “It’s been a long time coming … just some prayers answered in that game and got to go out there and have fun with my guys and that’s all I could ask for, really.”

YANKOFF LEFT the UW after one season and enrolled at UCLA, where he saw no action in 2019.

In 2020, a year he was switched to receiver during preseason camp, he played in all seven games in a COVID-shortened season, as a reserve receiver and on special teams.

Last year, he played in the first five games in a similar role.

His “stats” consisted of one tackle on special teams in 2020, and one in ’21. Both years, he was limited by a foot injury.

“Yeah, it’s been something I’ve been battling for a couple of years now off and on,” Yankoff said. “So yeah, just been rehabbing back from that and I had an opportunity to finally come back from that and get some work out on the field.”

During that time, while his teammates practiced, Yankoff was often on the sidelines, tooling around on a knee scooter.

“I’ll put it this way: I hope I never see one of those scooters again,” Yankoff said. “I’m not a fan of it, I prefer to be on both feet.”

He was pretty good on both feet at Coeur d’Alene. He passed for 6,411 yards and 55 touchdowns and rushed for 2,121 yards and 43 TDs in his career as a Viking. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, and the All-Idaho 5A Player of the Year.

But it didn’t work out as planned at Washington, so he decided to leave for UCLA — though the Huskies blocked Yankoff’s bid for immediate eligibility in Westwood.

YANKOFF WAS moved to running back this season — another position change which has taken some getting used to.

“It’s something I’ve been working on,” the 6-foot-4 Yankoff said. “Obviously, this isn’t a position I’ve played much of in my life but we’re learning fast — coach (DeShaun) Foster’s an amazing coach, so we’re learning.”

Foster, you might remember, was a star running back at UCLA who rushed for more than 3,500 yards in six NFL seasons.

“I feel like I’ve at least an understanding for what we’re trying to do at this point,” Yankoff said. “So yeah, there’s some technique stuff that I’m definitely still learning and trying to pick up, but that’s just how it goes.”

Yankoff said it was UCLA coach Chip Kelly who told him he was moving him to running back.

“I mean, I came here to play football, so whatever I can do to help this team out, I’m here for it.”

Maybe there’s a halfback pass in his future?

“I mean, I’ll do whatever they ask of me, so that’s a question that’s a little bit above my pay grade,” Yankoff said with a laugh.

THINGS I remember about Yankoff from his time at Coeur d’Alene — aside from the jaw-dropping deep throws, and the simple outrunning of defenders when they would chase him out of the pocket:

On the morning he signed his letter of intent with Washington, Yankoff got up early and drove to Spokane to be there in support of a Gonzaga Prep player who was also signing with the Huskies.

Then, back at Cd’A for his signing, the door to the school was locked (school was out for the holiday break). Guess who got up from his table and walked to the door and let people in?

Then, a few weeks later, though he was an early enrollee at Washington in January, there was Yankoff at the Fight for the Fish games, leading the other Coeur d’Alene students in cheers.

BELIEVE IT or not, Yankoff said he might have not one, but two, seasons of eligibility remaining after this one — one more because of COVID, and another after the transfer from Washington.

“I believe I got that (transfer year) back on the back end, is my understanding for that,” Yankoff said. “Right now I’m worried about this season, so I’m not really worried about that.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.