Iowa football running backs coach Ladell Betts has been navigating roster changes since the Hawkeyes started spring practice over a month ago.

Betts has been tasked with filling holes in his running backs room after former Hawkeye junior Tyler Goodson and senior Ivory Kelly-Martin both declared for the NFL Draft following the 2021 season.

Goodson was the Hawkeyes’ leading rusher in 2021 with 1,151 yards through 13 games. Kelly-Martin rushed for 202 yards.

“Interestingly enough, our running back room has been through a lot of changes over the course of the year,” Betts told reporters at a press conference Wednesday. “With the departures of Tyler Goodson and Ivory Kelly-Martin, we lost the bulk of our carries, the bulk of our production that came out of our room. More importantly than that, we lost the bulk of the veteran leadership that you know, as a coach, you always want that veteran presence in the room. And we lost that.”

Now, the Hawkeyes are turning to running backs Gavin Williams and LeShon Williams.

Gavin Williams was Iowa’s second-leading rusher in 2021-22, racking up 305 yards. He led the Hawkeyes in rushing in the Big Ten Championship Game in December 2021 and the Citrus Bowl in January with 56 and 98 yards, respectively.

LeShon Williams saw a limited number of in-game snaps in 2021-22. He accumulated 69 yards over three games, including 42 yards in the Citrus Bowl.

“He’s got a good pad level,” Betts said. “He’s a little shorter than Gavin, not much. They both run by the pads. But I think what people will be surprised to see is LeShon does have a little more wiggle than people expect.”

Gavin Williams and LeShon Williams will likely split the first-team running back reps in 2022. Betts pointed out the difference between Goodson and the Williams duo, saying that Goodson was quicker on his feet, more agile, and operated better in open space. Betts said the Williams duo runs more like he did when he played, as they prefer to run physically between the tackles.

“Tyler Goodson was definitely open space, very quick and dangerous in open space,” Betts said. “That’s not saying these guys aren’t dangerous in open space too, but they are different runners. Every runner has their own skill set, own way of doing things, and I think both of these guys we are talking about, Gavin and LeShon, have that ability to get north and south and they’re not afraid to get contact, or run through people and get yards after contact.”

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Elsbury, Jones competing for starting center position

Three Hawkeyes are competing to start at center in 2021: sophomores Tyler Elsbury and Logan Jones and senior Matt Fagan. The trio is trying to replace three-year starter Tyler Linderbaum, who declared for the 2022 NFL Draft on Jan. 14.

Elsbury and Jones have been taking the majority of snaps throughout the spring, Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ve switched them around a little bit, just to be honest with you,” Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett said. “Some days, you know, we will throw Elsbury in there and let him run with the ones. Some days, we let Logan run with the ones … you got to get the quarterbacks different snapping styles.”

Both Elsbury and Jones joined the Iowa football program and redshirted in 2020. Elsbury saw action in all the Hawkeyes’ 14 games in 2021 on the offensive line.

Jones was hampered by injury, missing 10 games in 2021. As a defensive lineman, Jones appeared in just one game. He flipped from the defensive line to the offensive line ahead of 2022 spring practice.

“Logan came over probably two weeks ago, maybe two and a half,” Barnett said at a press conference April 20. “He’s done a great job. I think he’s done a tremendous job. Here’s reason number one: how he’s wired. Who he is, of course, he’s very competitive. He likes contact. He’s really smart. He likes to ask questions. He likes to find out the ways of doing things.”

Senior Matt Fagan was the Hawkeyes’ backup center in 2021 and is listed second behind Elsbury on Iowa’s 2022 spring depth chart. Barnett said Fagan has been taking fewer snaps than Elsbury and Jones, but he is still in the mix for the starting position.

“Fagan’s in, he is getting better, he’s doing a really nice job,” Barnett said. “Elsbury and Jones have been getting the biggest share, mostly because they haven’t played it before. So, you got to see what they’ve done. Fagan is so reliable, because he’s so smart. He cares so much that you can always take a few reps off of him to give to those other guys.”