Iowa football: Top 5 running backs in Kirk Ferentz era

Shonn Greene was the best running back in the Kirk Ferentz era.

Once again, the Iowa football team looked to New Jersey for a running back. They got one in Shonn Greene as part of the 2005 recruiting class. He did not have much of an impact in the 2005 and 2006 seasons combining for just 378 yards on 69 carries. Greene missed all of the 2007 season due to being academically ineligible.

He enrolled in nearby Kirkwood Community College and worked at a furniture store moving couches here and there. Greene came back to Iowa in 2008 and nobody expected what was to come next.

Greene played in all 13 games that season carrying the ball 303 times for 1,850 yards and was given the Doak Walker Award recognizing the nation’s best collegiate running back. He was nothing short of spectacular in 2008, rushing for at least 100 yards in every single game and surpassing 200 yards twice.

One of those games was a signature stamp in the game against Wisconsin when he rushed for 217 yards on 25 carries and four touchdowns. He put the final touches on his season with a 29 carry, 121-yard performance with three touchdowns in the dominating Outback Bowl victory over South Carolina.

Greene’s emergence came out of nowhere and was a nice surprise for the Hawkeyes in 2008. He will go down as the best running back in the Kirk Ferentz era.