Will there be a three-headed monster? Will the Paki-Bomb make an appearance? Is Brandon Wegher going to be a part of the backfield? These questions and more will be answered below:
Jewel Hampton - SO - Jewel returns to the backfield after missing last season due to a knee injury. The question is, will he return to his pre-injury form or more like Jermelle Lewis and never have that same burst. In 2008 Jewel rushed for 463 yards and 7 touchdowns in a backup role of Shonn Greene. It will be interesting to see if he can perform as well against fresh defenses and not ones that have been pounded by Greene and the offensive line. Hampton sure didn't help himself this off-season when he was cited for being in a bar under the age of 21 in Iowa City. The repercussions of this transgression will be watching the first game of the season, which in most cases wouldn't be a big deal, but I will expand on this later.
Adam Robinson - SO - Adam enjoyed a breakout year last year for the Hawks and looks to build on his solid red shirt freshman season. Last year he split time and carries with Brandon Wegher and still put up very respectable numbers with 834 yards and 5 touchdowns. One thing that Adam does that goes unnoticed to the normal fan is his pass protection, last year as a first time contributor in the Big 10, I can't remember a time that he was beat on a blitz. Much like Jewel he does seem to get bitten by the injury bug nursing both ankle and shoulder injuries most of last season. This fall in camp Adam has been injured, which coupled with Brandon Wegher's absence and Jewel Hampton's suspension creates a gaping hole at running back for the opener.
Brandon Wegher -SO- Brandon burst on to the scene last year as a true freshman playing in one of the most physical football conferences in the nation. While splitting time with Adam Robinson Wegher amassed a total of 967 all purpose yards and 641 rushing with 8 rushes finding the end zone, which is an Iowa freshman record. Wegher has been curiously absent from camp since media day with a bevy of rumors surrounding his situation. I am no expert, nor do I know anyone related to Brandon, however what I have heard from a reliable source, warrants an absence for personal reasons. Optimism is high from Kirk Ferentz that it is only a matter of time until Wegher is back with the team. The good thing is that if it comes to it, Brandon still has his red-shirt available to use.
Paki O'Meara - SR - Paki is a great special teams player and I think that we saw what his capabilities are as a running back in the UNI game last year. He is fundamentally sound, knows the scheme, but just lacks the play making ability to be a Big Ten running back. If Paki sees significant carries for the Hawks this season, it will be a long one for the Iowa team.
De'Andre Johnson - FR - Iowa seems to be being rewarded for being loyal to Johnson. De'Andre rushed for 1,848 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a sophomore and junior at Monsinger Pace in Miami, Florida. He tore his ACL and missed his entire senior season, but Iowa honored their scholarship offer. This is the kind of player that excels at Iowa because he will have a chip on his shoulder about not being recruited by in-state schools like Miami, Florida, and Florida State. Under normal circumstances, Iowa would love for De'Andre to red shirt, but with the turmoil going on at the top of the depth chart for running backs, he could burn his red shirt and play this season.
Marcus Coker - FR - Marcus was the more heralded running back recruit last season coming out of the football factory of DeMatha Catholic in Baltimore, Maryland. In his three years of playing he rushed for 3533 yards at an average of over 10 yards a carry and 43 touchdowns, including one game last year when he rushed for 392 yards. Coker looks to be a running back of the future for the Hawks and could use his red shirt since he broke his collar bone early in fall camp.
Year projections:
With Wegher playing:
Hampton - 175 carries 925 yards 8 TD's
Robinson - 130 carries 475 yards 3 TD's
Wegher - 95 carries 355 yards 5 TD's
O'Meara - 25 carries 45 yards
Johnson - RS
Coker - RS
Without Wegher playing:
Hampton - 190 carries 980 yards 10 TD's
Robinson - 160 carries 650 yards 6 TD's
Wegher - RS
O'Meara - 20 carries 35 yards
Johnson - 25 carries 55 yards 1 TD
Coker - RS
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