Akrum Wadley

Wadley was occasionally lost in the shuffle last season with Iowa leaning on a stable of different backs to carry the load. However, when Wadley was given a chance, he proved to be the Hawkeyes’ most explosive big play threat. He finished second on the team among running backs in yards per carry, averaging 6.0 YPC over 83 carries while Derrick Mitchell earned a slight edge at 6.2 but he had significantly fewer carries (26). Wadley truly made a name for himself in Iowa’s blowout win over Northwestern when Jordan Canzeri went down with an ankle injury, taking 26 carries for 204 yards and four scores. LeShun Daniels’ seniority will likely give him the edge in terms of workload early in the season, but Wadley’s explosive playmaking potential should earn him a prominent role in the offense in due time.