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Zone Read: Coleman Owen Unplugged

Eric Sorenson
Arizona Sports News online

Coleman Owen has earned all of his football success.

The former Higley High and NAU star wide receiver (and lacrosse player in high school), is preparing for his first, and only, season at the University of Ohio after transferring to the MAC school back in January.

We recently caught up with Owen to discuss a myriad of topics both on, and off, the field.

Let’s get the toughest question out of the way. Compare Athens, Ohio to Flagstaff, Arizona. Go. “Oh, that’s a great question. Athens, Ohio is a smaller town. It’s more college town, so I feel like there’s about half as many people here as there are in Flagstaff.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Athens is HALF the size of Flagstaff? “Yeah, it’s tiny here [population around 18,000]. Basically, everyone who’s here is a college student. There’s almost like nobody outside of the college population that lives in Athens. It’s super small. It’s really just the college and a couple of streets outside of the college. There are a lot of trees and a lot of mountains, just not as much snow up here.”

The good news is, even though you’re a Gilbert kid, I’m sure those five years in Flagstaff (dealing with the winters), probably toughened you up, right? “Exactly. All the coaches were like, ‘Oh, you’re probably not used to the cold being from Arizona.’ I always have to explain [I went to college] in northern Arizona.We get a lot of snow up there.”

Is it safe to say if Coach [Chris] Ball, Aaron Pflugrad, and that staff was still at NAU, you would be, as well? “Yes, I would say so. I didn’t really have any intention of leaving NAU if you would have asked me a year ago. But with the whole staff not being retained, that was the reason I decided to enter the transfer portal.”

Did you have any communication with the new staff, or did you already have your mind made up you were going to transfer? “I gave them a chance, I guess you could say. I kind of had my mind made up that [transferring] was something I wanted to do once that staff go let go. I gave them a chance and met the [staff], but I realized that entering the transfer portal was probably going to be best for me.”

You made 2nd-Team All Big Sky twice and was a Freshman All-American. What will you take away most from those five years in Flagstaff? “There were a lot of great times out on the field but, really, it’s going to be the relationships. That was the hardest part of entering the transfer portal for me was, I still have a lot of relationships there. Obviously, the relationships with the coaches. They were great when I was there. They all got let go which was unfortunate but I still have a ton of great relationships with the players, and the support staff, and the athletic trainers, and the equipment people.

“Just being there for five years and building relationships with people. I made some of my best friends. Those guys that were my roommates and teammates up there. The relationships I made in Flagstaff were great.”

One of those former teammates is Hendrix Johnson. Someone I know you’re very close with. What has friendship and mentorship meant to you? “He’s meant the world to me. He was a guy that came in the same class as me and he started playing his true freshman year. He was a starter his true freshman year. I was still learning the ropes. I was playing a couple of snaps here and there but I was fighting some injuries, as well.

“So, he was a guy who learned really quickly and feel like he and I just sort of grew up together at NAU. We were able to do a lot of really cool things. He ended up being my roommate sophomore year, all the way up until I left. So he’s one of my best buddies. I’m probably going to be in his wedding one day, and he’s probably going to be in mine one day. He’s one of my best buddies.”

I love asking this question because every answer is so unique. How would you describe your time in the portal? “Oh, man [laughing]. It was crazy to say the least. There were a lot of coaches who hit me up. A lot of coaches saying they’re going to offer you and they want you to come visit, and then the next day you never hear from them again. Then, sort of the opposite. Coaches who are a little standoffish and don’t seem to want anything do with you. Then, a week later, they’re hitting you up. You can’t seem to get your phone to stop ringing.

“I told my dad the day after it was all over, I was like, ‘Man, that’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, going into the transfer portal.’ The emotions are way up and way down, and everything is kind of uncertain. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. There’s a lot of talking to people and sometimes you got to let people. Sometimes you get people’s hopes up. It wasn’t fun but it was definitely a learning experience.”

Why was Ohio the right school and the right program for you? “I kind of just immediately knew because they came late into the portal and started to recruit me in early January. Just hearing the philosophies they had here. The coaches are really great people. The way the recruited me and the things they were telling me about how they were going to use me in the offense. The kind of offense they run here – they love to throw the ball here.

“The coaching staff is a bunch of great people. It’s a lot of good stuff on the offensive side of the ball. Plus, when I came out on my visit, I kind of fell in love with the people here, and the campus.”

How nice has it been for you having Parker Navarro, another AZHS player, there in Athens to help you with your transition? “It’s been great having Parker here. He’s one of my best friends [here] and I’m actually moving in with him in a few weeks. He’s helped me a lot with learning the playbook and showing me around the town of Athens.”

Initially, you didn’t get a football scholarship to NAU but you were a Lumberjack Scholar for your work in the classroom at Higley. Your tuition was covered 100%. Give us a PSA for every high school football player who hopes to play at the next level one day. “Taking care of business in the classroom in high school was super important for my journey that I’m on now. I went to NAU as a walk on but half of my school was paid for because of my academics. That was such a blessing to me and my family. For all the kids that may not know, academics is really important in college, too. They won’t put you on scholarship if you’re just a [star] on the field, but in the classroom you’re getting C’s and D’s. A big part of getting a scholarship, and being a good teammate, and being a good player is focusing on your academics and getting it done in the classroom, as well.”

In prepping for this, I was comparing your recent head shots from NAU and Ohio. Is the hair long or short right now? “It’s short now. It was long at NAU but it’s short now.”

You going to bring that lettuce back in the fall to help keep your neck warm? “Yes, definitely [laughing]. I’m planning on bringing back the long hair in the fall.”

What sport do you love more: football or lacrosse? “That is such a tough question. Just because I’ve been away from lacrosse for so long, I’ve become bias to football now, because I truly do love football. If you would have asked me when I was playing both of them, I probably would have said lacrosse.” 

What is more physically taxing to play in a game: football or lacrosse? “Oh man, that’s another great question. Like, joint soreness after a game, I’d say for sure football. But, like, injuries all over my body, bruises on my arms and things like that, stick slashes across my legs, blood, it’s definitely lacrosse.”

Do you wish you were five years younger so you could get a ring or two after what [Eddy] Zubey’s been doing with the Higley football program the past couple of years? “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a little jealous, for sure. But it’s cool to see them doing such great things. When I go back back to Gilbert, I’ll pop out to some Higley games. But honestly, I wouldn’t say I’d want to go back because some of the guys I got to play with, the relationships I’ve been able to build with those guys has been awesome. I played with Draycen Hall, Ty Robinson. Those guys were awesome.”

I know you got your finance degree from NAU. What is your post-grad pursuit this year at Ohio? “So, I’m currently in the Master’s of Science & Management Program. It’s an on-line program here, but I have been applying for the MBA program and that doesn’t start until August…right now working on my MSM and could transition into my MBA.”

Last question. Do you miss Arizona, or are you happy now in your small little town in Ohio? “I for sure miss Arizona. I think being here in Ohio has kind made me realize how blessed I was to grow up in Arizona and go to school for [five] years in Flagtaff. I love Arizona and I’ll probably end up moving back to Arizona after everything is said and done, just because I love that state.”

 

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A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.

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