UW Huskies Jayden Limar, running back, speaks at a press conference in Seattle on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jayden Limar knew he was probably going to choose the Huskies before running backs coach Scottie Graham handed him the phone.
Limar, the former Lake Stevens High standout who spent three seasons at Oregon before entering the transfer portal, was enjoying his official visit when Graham mentioned there was someone who wanted to speak with him.
Myles Gaskin, Washington’s all-time leading rusher, was on the other end of the line. The pair of local tailbacks already had a relationship. They’d trained together as Gaskin pursued his professional career and Limar emerged as one of the region’s top high school running backs.
Gaskin’s opening message was simple: “Come home.” It cemented Limar’s decision.
Limar, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior tailback from Lake Stevens, will make his homecoming at a crucial time for the Huskies. He’s been asked to step into a running back group filled with intriguing-but-inexperienced talent and immediately establish himself as a veteran voice and mentor. All while Limar tries to earn the most significant playing time of his collegiate career during his final season of eligibility, potentially stepping into the starting role following Adam Mohammed’s exit.
Yet Limar is uniquely suited to the role Graham and Fisch are asking him to perform. Not just because of his Seattle roots or his physical talent. But because Limar is a natural teacher of football — a trait that dates back to his high school days.
“They needed a leader,” Limar said. “It’s a young room, obviously. … They knew the type of person I am. They said they wanted me in this room. They wanted me to help lead these young guys.”
Kennedy Catholic defends against Lake Stevens Jayden Limar, left, during the 4A championship game between Lake Stevens and Kennedy Catholic at Mt. Tahoma Stadium on Sat. Dec. 3, 2022. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times)
Kennedy Catholic defends against Lake Stevens Jayden Limar, left, during the 4A championship game between Lake Stevens and Kennedy Catholic at Mt. Tahoma Stadium on Sat. Dec. 3, 2022. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times)
An inclination for teaching
In some alternate universe, Limar might’ve spent his entire career on Montlake. He grew up a massive Husky fan, watching Gaskin and Kirkland native Salvon Ahmed star on past UW teams. He seriously considered the Huskies throughout his recruitment. Timing was the only obstacle.Limar was a four-star prospect and the No. 2 player in the state during the 2023 recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He initially committed to Notre Dame in May 2022, just a handful of months after Kalen DeBoer was appointed at UW to replace Jimmy Lake. Limar said he simply didn’t have enough time to get to know the new coaching staff, which led him away from Washington.
Brothers Jayshon Limar (44) and Jayden Limar (17) pose for a photo after a Lake Stevens High football game in 2021. Jayden Limar will return to his home state for his final season of college football in 2026 after transferring to Washington from Oregon, a move that brings him closer to his family. (Courtesy of Reggie Limar / )
Brothers Jayshon Limar (44) and Jayden Limar (17) pose for a photo after a Lake Stevens High football game in 2021. Jayden Limar will return to his home state for his final season of college football in 2026... (Courtesy of Reggie Limar / )
And Limar had other options because of his play at Lake Stevens.
Limar spent four seasons on varsity for coach Tom Tri and the Vikings. He totaled 4,246 yards rushing and 78 total touchdowns, despite his sophomore season being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior, he led Lake Stevens to the 2022 Class 4A state championship.
All primarily without a position coach.
Lake Stevens’ running backs coach departed after Limar’s freshman year in 2019. For the next three seasons, the position group was officially led by Tri and quarterbacks coach Lew Widmann. But in practice, Limar led his fellow tailbacks through drills assigned by the coaches, and often found himself teaching his younger teammates — including his younger brother Jayshon, now a running back at Division II Western Oregon — about football.
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“I want people to understand what’s going on around them,” Limar said. “I want all the people around me to be in the same thought process as me. And the best way to do that is just talking stuff through.”
Instructing his teammates, Limar said, came naturally. His father, Reggie Limar, described him as an “avid learner,” always trying to improve. Reggie said his eldest son analyzed countless videos of his favorite NFL running backs doing drills on YouTube and memorized workouts he’d learned at Ford Sports Performance to teach his Lake Stevens teammates.
Tri said Limar ensured all his teammates were conditioning during the offseason and getting to morning weightlifting sessions on time. The Lake Stevens coach, who’s been involved with the program for more than 25 years, called Limar one of the most selfless players he’d ever spent time around, constantly volunteering to let younger players get a chance to score touchdowns instead of chasing records or statistics for himself.
“He’s definitely one of the top-two or top-three best leaders, best captains, we’ve had,” Tri said.
Jayden Limar (left), Myles Gaskin (center) and Jayshon Limar (right) pose for a photo on Sept. 30, 2016 after Washington’s 44-6 victory against Stanford at Husky Stadium. Jayden Limar, now preparing for his first season at UW after three years at Oregon, grew up a Washington fan and idolized Gaskin, another local standout who starred for the Huskies. (Courtesy of Reggie Limar / )
Jayden Limar (left), Myles Gaskin (center) and Jayshon Limar (right) pose for a photo on Sept. 30, 2016 after Washington’s 44-6 victory against Stanford at Husky Stadium. Jayden Limar, now preparing for... (Courtesy of Reggie Limar / )
A new situation
Limar never made it to South Bend, Ind. He flipped to Oregon during the first day of the 2022 early signing period, partially because of his connection with Duck running backs coach Carlos Locklyn.At Oregon, Limar had to wait his turn. The Ducks entered 2023 with one of the country’s top running back groups, headlined by Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington and Jordan James.
So Limar watched how the players in front of him prepared. He saw how Irving, Whittington and James poured over film, which inspired him to take the same approach.
But the former Lake Stevens standout wasn’t alone. Oregon signed two running backs in its 2023 recruiting class: Limar and Dante Dowdell. As they tried to find their feet together, Limar began considering how people process information differently and the best ways to find common understanding.
“You’ve got to simplify everything,” Limar said. “Football is honestly a simple game. We just put complex words on it. I try to break it down into terms everyone understands … Then I put my own spin on it.”
Limar played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2023, primarily on special teams. He stayed at Oregon for his sophomore season in 2024, even after Locklyn departed for Ohio State and Dowdell entered the transfer portal. Limar had 25 carries in 13 games, but seemed likely to step into a larger role in 2025.Whittington remained the undisputed top running back after Irving and James had departed for the NFL in consecutive years, but Limar was in the discussion for the No. 2 role through Oregon’s first six games of the season while competing with two players he’d helped mentor: true freshmen Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. Limar had a career-high 12 carries during a 41-7 win against Oregon State on Sept. 20, a week after registering 11 rushing attempts against Northwestern.
Oregon running back Jayden Limar (27) runs away from Oklahoma State safety David Kabongo (18) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen) (Mark Ylen / AP)
Oregon running back Jayden Limar (27) runs away from Oklahoma State safety David Kabongo (18) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen) (Mark Ylen / AP)
Limar was getting an increased workload, but a foot injury held him out of Oregon’s final six regular season games. By the time he returned, Davison and Hill had supplanted him on the depth chart.
So Limar announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 6, despite Oregon still being in the College Football Playoff, because he wanted to enroll at a new program in time for offseason conditioning. He then watched the Ducks lose Davison to a broken clavicle while Whittington was limited by an undisclosed injury before the Peach Bowl, where Oregon was crushed by eventual champions Indiana 56-22.
“He had to make some tough decisions,” Reggie Limar said. “But he made it. He stuck by it. But I don’t even know if he watched the game, it was that hard for him. I know it was definitely rough on him. He felt for them. He wanted to be there for them.”
Coming home
While some alternate universes may exist where Limar plays his whole career at Washington, there are others where he never dons the purple and gold.Mohammed had long been anointed as Jonah Coleman’s successor at running back before his abrupt transfer to California during the offseason. But his departure paved the way for Limar’s return.
At Washington, Limar is back in the familiar role he occupied at Lake Stevens. He has added knowledge and teaching experience to share from his time at Oregon, too.
The rest of UW’s running back group is composed of two redshirt freshmen — Quaid Carr and Julian McMahan — and two true freshmen — Ansu Sanoe and Brian Bonner. Sophomore Jordan Washington, with 30 career carries, is the second-most experienced member of the group.
It will be Limar’s responsibility to mold the next generation of UW running backs. To model the behavior and work ethic expected of a college football player. To educate them on the details that make a player successful at this level. If he does his job well, he may end up in the exact same situation he endured during his final season at Oregon.
But Limar, whose only post-football dream involves working for his father’s junk removal business, has enjoyed other benefits since coming back to Seattle. He’s returned to his community. He finally gets to put on the same uniform once worn his idols, Gaskin and Ahmed.
He’s closer to his family, too. His eldest sister, Jordyn Bruce, just welcomed her first child, a healthy baby girl named Rayleigh. Jayden Limar got to be present for his niece’s birth, something that would’ve been impossible if he was still at Oregon.
Limar will not, however, be included on his sister’s list of prospective babysitters, to his own chagrin. Somehow, the senior running back — tasked with mentoring UW’s young running back room — was deemed too irresponsible to watch over his own niece.
“We’ll see though,” Limar said. “I’m hoping by the second kid, she’ll be more interested.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.