Christian Coleman won two events at this year's NCAA indoor championships.
Move over John Ross III, there's a new 40-yard dash king.
Two days after the 2017 NFL draft concluded, where 40-times are discussed excessively in between selections, Tennessee track & field sprinter Christian Coleman decided to test his own time at the Volunteers football practice facility. His result? Coleman reportedly clocked in at 4.12 seconds.
A lot of talk about 40-yard dashes this weekend, so we asked the fastest man in the NCAA @__coleman to run one. pic.twitter.com/CpgWYvqnCI
— UT Track & Field/XC (@Vol_Track) May 1, 2017
To put that in perspective, the former Washington wide receiver Ross — and No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals — broke the NFL combine record with a 4.22 time this past March. Electronic timing for the annual combine's 40-yard dash began in 2006.
| INDIVIDUAL | TIME | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| John Ross III | 4.22 | 2017 |
| Chris Johnson | 4.24 | 2008 |
| Dri Archer | 4.26 | 2014 |
Coleman's long list of accomplishments on the track include a pair of 2017 indoor championship titles in the 60-meter and 200-meter races. Now in the outdoor season, he was just named SEC co-runner of the week for a 9.93-second 100-meter dash — marking the fastest American time this year. Coleman was also a member of the United States' 4x100 men's relay team that competed in Rio during this past summer's Olympics.
It didn't take long for Vols football coach Butch Jones to come calling for Coleman after he laid eyes on the tape.
@__coleman what's your cleat size? https://t.co/90QODTU9UB
— Butch Jones (@UTCoachJones) May 1, 2017