Kamari Moulton picked up a well-earned honor after his big day against Washington

Kami Moulton embodies hard work and has improved every year since joining the Iowa program.

Moulton sat behind Kaleb Johnson for his first two seasons before earning the starting job last year, and without a few injuries, he would've gone over the century mark. Moulton finished the 2025-2026 season with 878 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 11 games (eight starts), and is well on his way to surpassing that this season. After a career day against Washington, Moulton is getting some well-deserved respect.

Moulton earned a 'best offensive player' nomination for week six

It was a special weekend for Moulton as he guided Iowa's offense to a 41-point outburst. It was Iowa's first time scoring 40-plus points on the road in the Big Ten since last season against Nebraska (40) and was a much-needed win. Iowa's College Football Playoff hopes hinged on a strong start to the season, and while nothing is guaranteed, ending the first part of the year with a 5-1 record is very important. Before Iowa heads into a bye week, Moulton earned well-deserved respect after his career day.

In On3 Sports' week six superlatives, Zak Herbstreit named Moulton his best offensive player of the week, underscoring the Iowa running game's dominance. Iowa struggled to establish the run against Michigan (58 yards) and Ohio State (39 yards), and they could have easily gone 0-2. Hank Brown saved Iowa's early season with a game-winning touchdown drive against Michigan, or it could have been a lot worse. Moulton and the rushing attack haven't lived up to their reputation through half of Iowa's six games this season, but hopefully his performance against Washington wasn't a fluke.

Moulton is a talented back who keeps improving every year, and if the offensive line keeps improving and gels, the Hawkeyes are in good shape. One big rushing game against a Big Ten opponent won't immediately fix the underlying issues, but it could signal better things in the future. Iowa's margin for error is slim after dropping an early game to Ohio State, and it can't afford to struggle running the ball. Backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski played well against Washington and opened up the playbook, but that doesn't mean he will start moving forward. Kirk Ferentz has traditionally been hesitant to replace injured starters, so if Hank Brown is back under center in week eight, the running game will be even more critical.

Brown is more of a pocket passer who excels at using the play-action to move the offense downfield, and when the offense can't run, it limits his effectiveness. If Iowa wants to make its first College Football Playoff appearance, it must run the ball effectively, and that starts up front. Three new starters on the offensive line isn't easy, but the Iowa program is known for developing talented offensive linemen. While the offensive line isn't the only reason for Iowa's running game struggles, it is a major part.

With Moulton healthy, Iowa has a very deep running back room, and they showed how effective it can be when everyone is playing at a high level.

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