By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – If you attended the Kids Day practice on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium and were hoping to see a more productive, more explosive, and a more creative Iowa offense, you probably left disappointed.

None of the quarterbacks performed particularly well and the plays didn’t really look much different with new offensive coordinator Tim Lester calling them compared to when previous coordinators Brian Ferentz, Greg Davis and Ken O’Keefe called them.

In other words, it still looked more like Kirk Ferentz’s offense than the Green Bay Packers or San Francisco 49ers offense.

But it was also just one practice, and it’s reasonable to assume that Lester, who worked as an offensive analyst for the Green Bay Packers last season, only used a small part of his playbook since it was an open practice in which multiple members of the media were shooting video and then posting on social media.

So, why give your opponents a free scouting report?

One thing seems certain, however, is that Iowa is loaded at the running back position.

Ladell Betts as the running backs coach has helped to assemble a deep, talented and versatile group of running backs with seven currently on scholarship.

Betts was asked at media day on Friday to rank Iowa’s depth at running back from one to 10 and he said 10 without hesitating.

Senior Leshon Williams, who didn’t practice on Saturday, is the leader of the group after having rushed for 821 yards last season, while junior Kaleb Johnson, who has 1,242 career rushing yards, helps to form a dynamic one-two punch.

But there is so much more to this group of running backs as we saw Saturday with the performances of Kamari Moulton and Terrell Washington Jr., both of whom are redshirt freshmen.

Moulton has ascended to third on the depth chart, while Washington has split time between running back and receiver because the Texas native is talented enough to play both positions.

Both have made a strong impression on Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

“T.J.’s a football player,” Kirk Ferentz said of Washington, who was previously committed to Purdue before signing with Iowa. “We talked about Kamari. Both those guys are the same age and same position. One thing both of them have impressed us with this past year is these guys like playing football and they love being in the building.

“They’re just always upbeat with a good attitude. They’re both very talented.”

Washington played exclusively at running back on Saturday, but he saw a significant amount of action at receiver in spring practice.

The challenge for Lester is figuring a way to get both of them on the field because they have the kinds of skills that Iowa needs to help jumpstart a struggling offense.

“So, T.J. may do both,” Kirk Ferentz said of Washington playing both running back and receiver. “At some point, we’re probably going to have to limit his reps a little bit. We’ve worked him more at receiver only because he got all the running back reps last year.

“So, we wanted to get him caught up there. And then we’ll just see what the roster looks like. But he’s in the mix. He’s a real good player.”

Washington and Moulton both can make defenders miss in space and are reliable receivers, especially Washington, obviously.

Both could have entered the transfer portal, which many players often do these days if they’re not close to starting.

But they both chose to stay put, which is a credit to them, to the Iowa culture and to Betts.

“It’s really a family-oriented culture I believe because we love one another and we all want to see each other win,” said Moulton, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “We believe that each of us can do great in this system.”

Whether they can will depend on multiple factors, including staying healthy and the performance of Iowa’s veteran offensive line, which had its moments on Saturday.

The job of an offensive coordinator is to get the best players on the field, but when so many of them are running backs that is challenge.

Redshirt sophomore Jaziun Patterson, who is also from Florida, didn’t standout much on Saturday, but when healthy, he’s shown that he make plays.

True freshman Xavier Williams, who is listed at 6-0 and 230 pounds, ran hard on Saturday and was difficult to bring down.

And while each of the running backs is unique in his own way, what they share in common is a mutual respect and admiration, and a commitment to the program.

“Us don’t want to leave this brotherhood, especially with coach Betts,” said Kaleb Johnson, who is from Hamilton, Ohio. “Coach Betts is a phenomenal coach.”

Betts was also a pretty good running back in his day.

He is Iowa’s second all-time leading rusher with 3,686 yards and he played for nearly a decade in the NFL.

“He’s been in the league for like ten years and nobody wants to leave that because he has been in the league,” Johnson said.

Betts was coaching high school football in South Florida when Kirk Ferentz offered him a chance to return to his alma mater in 2021.

That decision has certainly paid dividends based on the current depth at running back.

“I think it’s a solid room, I really do,” Betts said. “It’s just a matter of keeping everybody healthy.”

As long as Kirk Ferentz is the Iowa head coach, establishing the run will always be the top priority on offense regardless who is calling the plays.

Lester’s job as the play caller will be become much easier if the running game produces on a regular basis.

With so many talented running backs, and with one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country, Iowa should be able to move the chains on the ground.

Of course, the performance at quarterback will have a lot to do with how Iowa plays on offense under Lester, and what we saw on Saturday from all the quarterback left much to be desired, especially in the case of starter Cade McNamara, who is recovering from back-to-back season-ending knee surgeries.

McNamara just didn’t play very well on Saturday. He was inaccurate at times and his mobility seemed limited.

Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan had a better day, but even his performance left something to be desired.

Instead, it was the Iowa running backs that stood out the most on Saturday, and now it’s just about figuring a way to get them on the field to make plays.

And if that means using Washington more at receiver, okay, then just do it.