With star Akrum Wadley leaving to join the ranks of the pros, the Iowa Hawkeye football team has no clear-cut starter at the running back position. Here is a look at some of the players that they currently have on the roster at running back and where they stand heading into next season.
Depending on who you talk to, some say that Akrum Wadley was not a complete running back. I beg to differ. He could not only run the ball between the tackles or take it to the outside but he could also catch the ball and do something good with it. He was dynamic and will make a good pro. But that’s all in the past. We must now focus on the future.
The Hawkeyes currently have, including their recruiting class, a total of seven running backs on the roster (not including fullbacks) heading into the 2018 season. Most of them we have never even heard about but all of them are supposed to bring something to the team. But without knowing much about some of the guys that didn’t play much in 2017, it’s hard to predict what those lesser known guys are going to do.
The ones we want to look at are the guys that played some this year. We can consider every player that had a rush in 2017 as being someone that could factor into some great things in 2018. There were two guys, in particular, who had a bit of an impact. They were Ivory Kelly-Martin and Toren Young.
Last season, Kelley-Martin rushed for just 184 yards in 2017 but he scored three touchdowns and helped spell Wadley as needed. He is going to be a sophomore heading into 2018 and should see additional time at running back and may even end up the starter depending on how things go in the spring and summer camps. Coming in at 5’11” weighing 195 pounds, Martin’s weight is nicely distributed throughout his body and he carries it well. He has some durability and could hopefully pack on just a few more pounds without having to sacrifice speed.
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Look for Kelly-Martin to play a big role in Iowa’s rushing attack this season. I would expect him to split some carries with the next running back we are going to talk about. This, until either one of the two, or someone else steps up and is good enough to take over the reigns as a full-time starter. He should get a good shot at earning the starting running back spot. But there is someone else he will have to compete with to earn a starting spot.
That player is Young.
Having had a chance to follow Young from spring drills in 2017 through the season, I can say that he has a promising future with the Hawkeyes. Young, like Kelly-Martin, did not see many touches in 2017 playing as a redshirt freshman. He had 45 attempts for 193 yards with an average of 4.3 yards per rush. Young scored two touchdowns.
He looks very good heading into 2018.
This writer feels he’s on the inside track towards becoming Iowa’s next starting running back.
Young has a nice blend of height and weight. He comes in at 5’11” and weighs 220 pounds. The young back from Madison, Wisconsin impressed during his first showing in the spring. He also did well when he spelled Wadley during the season. If I had to make a prediction, I would say that Young becomes the starting running back.
The other running backs on the roster include (with this year’s college year) Toks Akinribade, a sophomore, Kyshaun Bryan, a freshman, Marcel Joley, a redshirt junior and newly signed recruits Henry Geil and Tyrone Tracy.
Iowa has some talent at the running back position. There is no shortage of guys who can do some wonders for them in the coming seasons.
You heard it here first folks. You will see Toren Young and Ivory Kelley-Martin as the primary running backs in Iowa’s offense next season. That is unless someone else emerges who is worthy of getting some additional looks early in the year.
This position will be an exciting one in 2018.