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Iowa Football: Top 3 Way-Too-Early Breakout Candidates for 2022

By Rowan Fisher-Shotton

Oct 1, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes players celebrates after a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes players celebrates after a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Gavin Williams, RB

If the Hawkeyes want to build off their 10-win season from a year ago, it’s no secret that they will need their offense to improve dramatically. While they might be able to rely on more production from one of either Petras or Padilla, it’s far from a sure thing, which means that they will (once again) need their running backs to step up.

Going into 2022, Iowa has Gavin Williams, Leshon Williams and incoming freshman, Kaleb Johnson, on the roster. Of the bunch, Gavin Williams appears to have the best chance to break out next season, and become the team’s bonafide starter.

Despite coming to Iowa City as a three-star recruit, and ranking just outside of the top-30 among running backs in the class of 2019, he’s steadily emerged as one of the more reliable skill position players for the Hawkeyes.

In 2021, Williams finished with 305 yards on just 65 touches, averaging a team-best 4.7 yards per carry. Moreover, his yards total was good enough for second on the team right behind Iowa’s lead-back, Tyler Goodson, who took over the bulk of the workload with over 250 carries on the year, resulting in 1,151 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Now, with Goodson gearing up for the NFL, and no established recruits or transfers coming in to shore up the position, one of the remaining Hawkeyes will need to step in and make up for the production lost at running back.

Head coach, Kirk Ferentz, has built up somewhat of a reputation in utilizing all of his running backs and spreading the ball out on offense. But he probably also wants a dependable workhorse back he can lean on to help set the tone and close out games.

Obviously, Goodson benefited from the lack of consistency at quarterback, and a dominant Linderbaum-led offensive line last year, resulting in more carries and a reliance on the run game. Nevertheless, Iowa football will need somebody to take the lead in the backfield, and Williams feels like the most likely candidate to do so.

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