Former Iowa and Washington Commanders' standout running back Ladell Betts is making the jump to the NFL in some surprising off-season news. Betts was a longtime high school coach before becoming a member of the Iowa coaching staff in 2021, where he primarily served as the teams running backs coach. According to Dan Duggan of the Athletic, Betts accepted a similar role with the New York Giants on Monday. Betts will join a much-maligned Giants organization who recently decided to forgo signing star running back Saquon Barkley to a multi-year contract, only to see him sign with the rival Philadelphia Eagles and win a Super Bowl.
Betts was a star at Iowa, finishing his career ranking second all-time in Iowa history with 3,686 yards rushing and 4th in all-purpose yards (4,397). He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his final 2 seasons (2000,2001), which propelled him to become the 56th overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Washington.
Betts was seen as a rising star on the Iowa Football staff and was an integral influence on star running back Kaleb Johnson. Johnson was a consensus All-American after the 2024 season at Iowa that saw him rack up 1,537 yards on 240 carries (6.4 average yards) with 21 touchdowns. Iowa will now look to fill a huge hole in their coaching ranks after the departure of Betts. Whether they promote from within, or look outside the organization, Betts will be sorely missed and they will have a tough time replacing him.