Iowa Football: Akrum Wadley Poised For Monster Senior Season

The ‘career life cycle’ of running backs is much shorter than at other positions due to the inherent nature of the position. That is why it was no surprise that Iowa star back Akrum Wadley strongly considered early entry into the 2017 NFL Draft.

The decision to lead the Hawkeyes, and return to Iowa City eventually won out, and Wadley is beginning to get the pre-season attention that some might expect.

The ‘Iowa Faithful’ haven’t had the opportunity to get excited about a running back returning like this in some time. Shonn Greene would have been a Heisman favorite in 2009, but it took him the total time of the walk from the Outback Bowl field to the press room to announce his pro intentions. Other promising stars didn’t work out, or transferred before their senior year as well.

While it is no shock to Hawkeye fans that get to watch #25 perform every week, it can be expected that more national ‘experts’ and pundits like Todd McShay will be ‘wowed’ by Wadley’s ability to elude defenders.

Wadley comes into the 2017 season as among the clear leaders of the Hawkeyes. With LeShun Daniels, who Wadley shared his carries with in 2016 now with the New England Patriots, and Derrick Mitchell transferring to Texas Tech; Wadley is the lone upperclassmen at running back along with junior Marcel Joly who will fight for snaps this summer.

Outside of Iowa fans, not many have a grasp on how big of a season Wadley could have. Matt Brown of Sports On Earth had Wadley ranked as the #11 running back coming into the season in the country. Northwestern’s Justin Jackson and the #1 selection Saquon Barkley of Penn State were the only Big Ten players ranked higher. Bovada.com currently does not list Wadley among the wagerable names to win the Heisman Trophy. That could certainly change quickly.

Wadley is in prime position with a strong senior campaign to finish among the greatest running backs in Hawkeye history.

With another 1000 yard season, which many would think would be on the lower end of the spectrum, Wadley would be fifth in all-time yards for the program. If he has an All-Conference type performance at 1500, or matches the Iowa single-season record set by Shonn Greene, Wadley will finish third all-time. That would be behind only Ladell Betts and Sedrick Shaw.

To set the all-time Iowa record, Wadley would need 2146 yards this season. That would be 11th all-time, and would make him a shoe-in for a trip to New York for the Heisman Ceremony, and most likely make him the first winner from Iowa since Nile Kinnick.

But, before grand-pronouncements are made, and trophies are given out before the season, we will have to see how the Hawkeyes offense comes together. With a new quarterback that will (hopefully) emerge before game one, and a new offensive coordinator in Brian Ferentz, no one knows exactly what to expect.

Most feel that with the returning Joe Moore Award winning offensive line, and the uncertainty at wide receiver, the dosage of Wadley carries is a no-brainer.

It will be a fun ride to see how the return of Akrum Wadley impacts the Hawkeye season, and if he can climb that ladder among the all-time greats for the Hawkeyes.