Colson Yankoff

Colson Yankoff is an American professional football tight end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. He played college football for the Huskies football|Washington Huskies] and Bruins football|UCLA Bruins] and signed with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024.

Early life and college

Yankoff was born on March 1, 2000, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He played football as a quarterback at Coeur d'Alene High School, leading them to the state 5A championship game as a senior in 2017. Yankoff initially verbally committed to play college football at the University of Oregon; however, he de-committed upon the firing of Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich. A 4-star recruit, Yankoff eventually enrolled at the University of Washington to play college football for the Huskies. Considered the top recruit of their class by 247Sports, he redshirted his freshman year and transferred to the University of California, [Los Angeles] after the season to play for the Bruins. He sat out of the 2019 season after the Huskies blocked a bid for him to have immediate playing eligibility. He played at wide receiver with UCLA in 2020 and 2021 and at running back and on special teams in 2022 and 2023. As a student, he earned a degree in economics and a master's degree in education.

Yankoff signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024, converting to tight end from his college positions of running back and wide receiver. He was placed on injured reserve on November 9, 2024. He returned to the active roster during the playoffs and played in both the NFC Wild Card Round and Divisional Round. Yankoff played in 6 regular season games for the Commanders as a rookie, playing 6 offensive snaps and 101 special teams snaps. Yankoff recorded 4 tackles on special teams as a rookie.
Yankoff entered the 2025 season as one of Washington's auxiliary tight ends. In Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins], Yankoff recorded his first career catch on a four-yard reception from Marcus Mariota.