Lompoc (Calif.) High School running back Lavon Coleman is one of the best backs in the state of California. He may be one of the best in the country. He’s 5-11, 205 pounds and he rushed for over 2,000 yards as a junior helping to lead his team to an undefeated season and a CIF state championship.

Don’t be alarmed that you haven’t heard of him. Not many have. But word is getting out.

Currently, Coleman holds offers from Washington and Washington State. He is getting interest from all over the Pac-12 and the west coast. Oregon, Arizona State, San Jose State and Oregon State are a few of the others that have shown significant interest.

“It seems like every day somebody else calls for him,” said Lompoc head coach Andrew Jones. “Some schools do it a little differently in how they offer. I’d say he’s up there as one of the better backs in the state.”

Coleman has been a big part of Lompoc’s recent success. Under Coach Jones, Lompoc has won 20 straight games and Coleman has been starting since his sophomore season.

“He’s a special player,” said Jones. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s kind of a different back. He’s more of your grind it out, pound it out guy and then once he makes someone miss, he’s gone.”

Coleman’s first two offers came right after national signing day and they came within minutes of each other. First it was Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies followed by Mike Leach and Washington State.

“I got pretty excited to get two offers in one day,” Coleman said. “When they told me they wanted to offer me, it felt pretty good. I got a little jump in my heart. It’s just the beginning though.”

Currently, Coleman’s only familiarity with the Washington and Wazzu programs are his use of their offenses while playing with them on video games. This spring and summer he hopes to learn more about several other programs as he takes in camps and junior days.

If it was up to Coleman, he would have some SEC schools added to his offer list in the near future.

“I would like to play in the SEC,” he said. “Everyone is big in the SEC. I’d be interested in any SEC school.”

Coleman certainly has an SEC skill-set as a running back. The two top teams in the conference in 2011 LSU and Alabama both boasted powerful bruising backs. According to his head coach, Coleman definitely possesses that physicality.

“There’s not doubt about it, when it’s 4th down and 1, I’m pretty confident in him,” Coach Jones said. “I still think he’s got a lot left in the tank and he’s still learning. The way he’s working in the weight room, he’s going to have a big senior year.“