Iowa Football: 2017 Running Back Preview

In part four of our position preview series, we take a look at the guys that will be running behind the defending Joe Moore award winners. With a pair of experienced, productive ball carriers in the fold, Iowa could be poised for a huge year on the ground.

Last season was the first time in over a decade that Iowa had two different running backs rush for over 1,00 yards. One of those rushers, LeShun Daniels Jr., has graduated and was signed by the New England Patriots as a UFA. The other, Akrum Wadley, considered bolting for the NFL a year early, but luckily for the Hawkeyes he decided on coming back for his senior season.

Wadley is likely to be on the Doak Walker preseason watch list, and deservedly so. He racked up 1,396 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns last season, while averaging 6.4 YPC in the process. Wadley’s style of play is just as sexy as his numbers, and that’s what makes him such a special player. He has elite vision and elusiveness, which makes him a threat to break any given carry or reception 20+ yards.

Not even a month ago The depth chart looked like this:

1. Wadley
2. Wadley
3. Wadley
4. Toks Akinribade

That was until it was announced that former University of Nevada running back James Butler transferred to Iowa on the fourth of July. Butler has already graduated, which makes him eligible to suit up for the Hawkeyes this fall. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the all-Mountain West-conference running back, let me help you get acquainted.

While Butler is on the shorter side at just 5’9, he weighs a sturdy 210 lbs and was extremely durable in his three years at Nevada, never missing a game. That durability should come in handy for the Hawkeyes, because his numbers and game tape speak for themselves.

Butler rushed for 645 yards on just 140 carries as a freshman, then took a major leap as a sophomore, rushing for 1,345 yards with a whopping 6.5 YPC! That YPC came slightly back down to earth last season to 5.1, as he rushed for 1,336 yards on 260 carries, but as he “regressed” as a rusher, he made big strides as a receiver. He gained 381 yards on 37 receptions after only catching 12 passes combined his first two seasons.

Now obviously the jump from the Mountain West to the Big Ten is a big one. Running all over Utah State is great and all, but we won’t know what Butler is truly made of until we see him take the field against the likes of PSU and MSU in September.

But before you jump to question Butler’s legitimacy due to the lack of competition he faced, keep in mind he was running behind a MWC offensive line the last three seasons as well. Running behind a bonafide offensive line should help ease Butler in as he makes the big competition leap.

Butler is a really intriguing addition this late in the offseason, and Hawkeye fans should be excited about what he can bring to the table. But don’t get it twisted, there isn’t a competition at running back. Akrum Wadley is the best player on the offense, the job is his. Butler was brought in primarily to help keep Wadley fresh throughout the season and as injury insurance, but new offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will have the opportunity to get creative with how he uses the duo.

Both Wadley and Butler caught over 30 passes in 2016, and Iowa’s wide receiver issues have been well documented. Look for Ferentz to try to get both backs as many touches as possible out in space. Ferentz can use formations that have one in the backfield and the other in the slot, he can start both of them in the backfield and motion one out, both can run patterns out of the backfield, and they can be used in misdirection schemes out of the shotgun. Greg Davis was forced into retirement in large part because he was a dull, stale playcaller. The addition of Butler adds another dimension to the offense that Iowa fans will be expecting Ferentz to capitalize on.

I mentioned in an earlier preview that the O-line could be the best and deepest position group, but no position group on the roster possesses as much star power as running back. Without a proven starter at quarterback, it’s not inconceivable that Iowa could be running the football 35+ times a game. With Wadley carrying the load and Butler now in the picture, Iowa’s offense could be good enough to make a push in the wide open Big Ten West.