Iowa running backs model success

 Wadley and Daniels rotating in and each posting standout years in 2017 set the most recent base for Iowa’s running back system.

Young is the only current Hawkeye running back who played under Wadley and Daniels that year and seeing that type of success stemming from a rotation helped frame the mentality that now is present in the running back room.

“They had to rotate and both of them are a very capable back who could have took a lot of carries,” Young said. “Looking up to them, it was easy to buy into that and understand how things work.”

Wadley and Daniels’ chemistry was key to their success on the field in 2016.

Wadley finished the season with 1,081 net rushing yards, and Daniels ended his Iowa career with 1,058 his senior year.

“We knew each other well and we knew each other’s skillsets well, so we figured that our skill sets complemented each other’s pretty well which helped us have the most success,” Daniels said. “It obviously really came together in 2016 because neither of us really had egos, so it really didn’t matter who was going out because we knew that no matter who had a good game, it was going to help out the other back in some way.”

Iowa’s running back room is stacked, not just this year, but in years to come, and the mentality present now will pave the way for those now learning from Young and Sargent.

“The key [to success in a rotation] was really just not having an ego — that was really the biggest thing,” Daniels said. “Not getting selfish or anything like that because the young guys got to look up to you.”

Also in the running back room is freshman Tyler Goodson, who already has 19 carries on the season for 96 yards. His season-long run of 19 yards came against Rutgers when he tallied 53 rushing yards.

Daniels tweeted during Iowa’s game against Rutgers that Goodson looked like Wadley on one of his runs.

“He definitely has some skills. He’s got Akrum-esque skills,” Daniels said. “I think the future is going to be in good hands, everyone is relatively young. They’re all juniors and then there are a couple freshmen that can play some ball. I don’t think that they should have any problem running the ball as the years go by.”