Iowa senior Akrum Wadley has a specific number in mind for this season
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Perhaps the only thing more enjoyable than watching Akrum Wadley elude defenders is interviewing him.
Okay, maybe I’m getting a little carried away, but Wadley in addition to being a special talent on the football field has a gift for gab.
He is sort of like his new offensive coordinator, Brian Ferentz, in that much of what Wadley says is unfiltered, sincere and interesting.
That’s why reporters always seize the moment when Wadley attends Iowa’s weekly press conference as he did on Tuesday, because much like on the football field, he rarely disappoints.
Wadley isn’t shy about sharing one of his individual goals for this season, which starts on Saturday against Wyoming at Kinnick Stadium. The New Jersey native wants to rush for at least 1,400 yards this season.
Asked how he came up with that number, Wadley said:
“I don’t know. I just know that it’s better than my last year.
“Fourteen-hundred, I just heard somebody say that and was, alright, that’s the goal.”
Only three Iowa running backs – Shonn Greene (1,850), Tavian Banks (1,691) and Sedrick Shaw ((1,477) have rushed for at least 1,400 yards in a season.
So Wadley has set the bar extremely high, and deservedly so.
It isn’t often that an Iowa running back speaks so boldly heading into a season, and it might not sit well with Wadley’s highly conservative head coach because it could be perceived as being cocky and as motivation for Iowa’s opponents.
Me personally, I have no problem with Wadley speaking confidently because for one, he’s earned the right by rushing for 1,763 yards and by averaging a whopping 6.2 yards per carry as a Hawkeye.
Wadley is a special talent, as I was reminded on Tuesday while debating over who was more fun to watch between Wadley and Banks, who played at Iowa from 1994-97. My opponent insisted it was Wadley and wouldn’t relent.
To even be in that discussion speaks volumes about Wadley because Banks was special in his own way. He also could leave defenders grabbing for air with his elusive running style.
Many of the pieces are in place for Wadley to shine this season, including a veteran offensive line that returns four full-time starters from a unit that won the Joe Moore Award last season as the nation’s top collegiate offensive line.
Sophomore Nate Stanley also will start for the first time at quarterback and will throw to a mostly inexperienced group of receivers. So it’s reasonable to think that Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will try to help their transition by emphasizing the running game perhaps even more than usual.
“Definitely,” Wadley said of emphasizing the run. “Nate has got to get mature. He’s young and he has to get the feel for it. And the line, they’re returning.
“We all just need to do our roles. Coach is always talking about us doing our jobs and nothing extra.”
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Wadley is clearly Iowa’s featured back this season after having shared the stage with LeShun Daniels last season. He and Daniels both rushed for over 1,000 yards last season despite sharing the position.
Wadley could be part of another one-two punch at running back this season with the addition of graduate transfer James Butler, who rushed for over 3,000 yards in three seasons at Nevada.
Butler is eager to run behind Iowa’s experienced offensive line.
“They’re gritty and they’re nasty and they really get after defenses and they really work well together as a unit,” Butler said of the offensive line.
It’s uncertain how Brian Ferentz plans to use his two senior running backs. The hope is that Brian will get creative and play Wadley and Butler at the same time and use them in multiple roles.
Wadley might fail to reach his goal due to reasons that actually could help the team in the long run. Butler is likely to take away some of Wadley’s rushing yards, and Wadley also might be used more as a receiver this season.
He and Butler both had over 30 receptions last season, so they both could be used in the slot.
Wadley is also expected to return kicks this season.
"It's just another way to make a big play," he said.
The possibilities seem endless with Wadley in the backfield.
We all need goals and Wadley isn’t afraid to share his lofty goal for this season. There is nothing wrong with being confident because there is no place for indecisiveness in big-time college football.
Especially for a running back.