The Next Jake Plummer? Yankoff Only Interested In Doing His Own Thing

The Next Jake Plummer? Yankoff Only Interested In Doing His Own Thing

Coeur d'Alene quarterback Colson Yankoff overcame a track-related knee injury to return to the field for the Vikings.

Sep 21, 2017 by Kolby Paxton
The Next Jake Plummer? Yankoff Only Interested In Doing His Own Thing
The following article was provided by FloFootball correspondent Ben Johnson -- the former award-winning sports editor of the Tahlequah Daily Press and a frequent contributor to the Tulsa World.

Colson Yankoff launched himself into the air, hoping to achieve long-jump superiority.

His landing resulted in agony.

A meniscus tear in his left knee derailed the rest of his track season in May, but he avoided the ultimate disaster: the loss of his senior year on the football field. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback at Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) High School missed the Vikings' first two games of this season, but he returned in a 62-43 victory of Mead (WA) on Sept. 9 and helped lead his team to a 35-7 win over Moses Lake last week.

"It felt great," Yankoff says of being able to return to game action. "It's been something that I have been thinking about for a while, so to finally live it felt amazing."

It didn't take long for the University of Washington commit to make an immediate impact. He torched Mead for 183 yards and a touchdown through the air, and he racked up 161 yards and four touchdowns on only five carries.

More importantly, he's felt no lingering knee pain as the Vikings prepare to travel to Camas (WA) for their next game Friday night.

"My knee feels good," Yankoff says. "No complaints."

Watch Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) at Camas (WA) LIVE on FloFootball!



Prior to Yankoff's return, Coeur d'Alene endured a season-opening 56-33 loss to Folsom (CA) before taking down Central Valley (WA) 29-27.

"It is obviously great to have Colson back," Coeur d'Alene head coach Shawn Amos says. "But I think it was good for our team overall to see they could be successful without him. It gave other players a chance to step up as leaders and playmakers."

As for the spotlight centered on Yankoff, he doesn't let the chatter of being Idaho's best prospect since former NFL Pro Bowler Jake Plummer get to him.

"To be honest, that isn't something I pay attention to or care about," he says. "I'm going to do what I do and not worry about what everyone thinks about it."

Amos marvels at Yankoff's humility.

"I have said this several times, but Colson is the man -- but he does not act like the man," Amos says.



Yankoff -- who compiled 4,097 total yards and 53 touchdowns as a junior -- has just one concern: getting Coeur d'Alene to the playoffs and making the most of his final varsity season.

"It's the last one I have with my high school buddies, and I plan on making the most of it," he says. Then it's on to Washington, where Yankoff plans on enrolling early.

"I'm obviously very excited about what the next few years have to offer," Yankoff says. "The coaches, the football program, academics, and the atmosphere were some of the major things that I loved about Washington."

Before the Idahoan takes up residence in the Evergreen State, he'll be tasked with taking down one of the state's most successful programs in Camas. Something tells us Husky fans won't hold that against him, though.


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