Kirk Ferentz discusses updated QB room, a new receiver and Lisa Bluder
The Iowa head football coach discussed Brendan Sullivan’s addition without naming him, and what that means for Cade McNamara.
Ladell Betts was the head football coach at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida when Kirk Ferentz plucked him in the spring of 2021 to replace Derrick Foster as Iowa’s running backs coach.
That was quite a step up in stature – going from a small, private high school to the Big Ten Conference – but the hire was by no means a reach. Ferentz knew Betts, the first featured running back in his 26-year Iowa head-coaching tenure, could help bolster the Hawkeyes’ Florida recruiting while bringing nearly a decade of NFL playing experience to the staff.
That hire has played out beautifully for Iowa. In a somewhat remarkable feat in today’s college football, Iowa not only didn’t lose any of its five scholarship running backs to graduation … it didn’t lose a single one during the winter or spring open periods of the transfer portal. While Betts may diminish his role in retaining Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson, Kamari Moulton and Terrell Washington Jr., his NFL experiences are relatable and no doubt have been a major factor.
Betts has been there, done that. In his nine-year NFL career – eight in Washington, one in New Orleans – he accumulated 3,326 yards rushing and 1,646 yards receiving. He did that despite mostly being a backup running back. But when Washington featured back Clinton Portis needed a breather, Betts was ready. And then in 2006, when Portis was limited all season with a shoulder injury, Betts racked up 1,599 yards from scrimmage predominantly in the lead role.
That has summarized Betts’ message to his Hawkeye players: Put in the work, be patient and your time will usually come. And, bonus, the less beating you take as a running back the longer your pro career can last. Betts accumulated nearly $10 million in earnings during his NFL days, according to data published by the Register in 2020. He remains the No. 2 rusher in Iowa history (behind Sedrick Shaw) with 3,686 career yards.
They have listened to Betts’ message.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why the guys kind of respond to me like they do. Because I’ve been in their shoes. I played the position,” Betts said during his appearance on this week’s Hawk Central radio show with the Des Moines Register on KXnO in Des Moines. “I understand there’s only one football. I get it. I’ve sat there with my arms folded, a little frustrated myself.”
Betts was extremely insightful during his 25-minute interview Wednesday. Here are some of the other highlights.
The Tim Lester offense and a recent trip to Green Bay
Pictures on social media surfaced last week with Ferentz at a Green Bay Packers practice. That, as you might guess, involved several members of Iowa’s staff (Betts included) and namely, Tim Lester.
The new Iowa offensive coordinator spent the 2023 season with the Packers as an analyst, and Lester and Hawkeye staff members met with some Packers coaches for dinner on the night of May 28 before attending meetings and practice the following day.
Betts immediately noticed how warmly Lester, a six-year head coach at Western Michigan before his short stay in Green Bay, was welcomed back.
More: Iowa football has rebuilt some much-needed stability in quarterback room this offseason
“He was 100% the catalyst. It was good to see that, too,” Betts said. “A guy that only spent one year somewhere, he was so well-received when we went in – from the players to the coaches. It just shows me that he must have made an impact. They clearly remembered who he was. That’s a good sign that you’re dealing with a great guy.”
Team visits are common in the offseason. For example, Ferentz has taken staff to New England Patriots practices in the past. Iowa once visited Georgia football practice to get a window into how the Southeastern Conference powerhouse operates. This particular visit was beneficial because, as Betts said, “We’re running the Packers’ system. We’re running the Shanahan system.”
The Mike Shanahan/Kyle Shanahan influence is heavy in today’s NFL, and that includes Packers head coach Matt LaFleur – who when Lester was a quarterback at Western Michigan in the late 1990s was one of his top receivers.
During spring practice, veteran Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins remarked how much Lester’s offense tried to confuse the defense with constant motion and pre-snap alignments. Betts offered a fantastic summary of what the Shanahan system – which Iowa is in the opening stages of learning – can deliver.
“The bread and butter of it is the run game. It all centers around the run game,” Betts said, and a quote like that given his title should only help recruiting. “But I think the biggest takeaway is how much consternation can we give the defense? How off-balance can we keep the defense? There’s going to be a lot of motions. A lot of shifts. A lot of pre-snap changes with the alignments.
“Because if you’re thinking about it from a defensive perspective, (they’re) trying to eliminate what you’re doing from a specific formation. … And the more they can eliminate, the better they’ll be. But when you’re changing that picture constantly, it’s hard for them to eliminate certain plays.
“You’re trying to … create doubt for the defense.”
Well said.
Here’s even more explanation of what the Lester offense will try to do. Remember, it’s not going to be a finished product in Week 1 of Year 1, especially considering quarterback Cade McNamara couldn’t do 11-on-11 drills during spring practice. But also remember, coaches said that the offense uncorked more big runs this spring than it has for at least four or five years.
“The linebackers and safeties have certain fits and responsibilities,” Betts said. “If you can cause them to step the wrong way for a split second or misidentify a fit, now we have a big play. That’s really what the offense is all about. It’s about setting up (plays) with the run game, keeping the defense off-balance, keeping them guessing … maybe half a step late, and then gashing them.”
Kaleb Johnson ‘a better player’ after adversity
If anybody was going to transfer out of the program, Kaleb Johnson would have seemingly been a prime candidate. Supremely talented, as we saw during his freshman season when he led the Hawkeyes in rushing. Physically gifted, as summarized by his “Superman” nickname. And shuffled back on the depth chart after an early-season ankle injury in 2023, then watched Williams take over the primary ball-carrying role.
What led Johnson to stay? Well, generally speaking, Betts referenced the “brotherhood” and “fellowship” that exists among his running backs – one from Chicago (Williams), one from Ohio (Johnson), two from Florida (Patterson, Moulton), one from Texas (Washington) and a walk-on from Iowa (Max White).
“Football is grueling, mentally and physically,” Betts said. “And I think when you’re going through it with people that you generally get along with and you feel like you’re brothers … I think you’re liable to stick around.”
As for Johnson specifically, Betts encouraged him to use his time on the sidelines – 49 carries over Iowa’s last seven games, including zero vs. Northwestern – to work on some of his weaknesses.
“KJ and I, we had some very candid conversations about, ‘Hey, you’ve got to work back into this thing and find your rhythm and get your confidence back.’ A little adversity is good for everybody,” Betts said. “He hadn’t really had to deal with that when he first got here. He was thrust into the spotlight so quickly, to where I think that made him a better player. That made him hungry.”
Kamari Moulton eruption coming?
One of the big gainers in the spring was Moulton, who has grown as much physically as he has on the football field. When Moulton reported to Iowa a year ago, his weight was in the mid-170s. As of Monday, when returning players reported, Moulton was at an even 200 pounds.
It was notable that Moulton got carries ahead of Patterson during the open spring practice at Kinnick Stadium.
“He has a slashing style,” Betts said. “He has a way of finding the small creases and always finding ways to get positive yards.”
With Moulton’s stock rising, Williams returning after his team-high 821-yard season and Johnson hoping for a junior explosion, Betts has a good problem on his hands. He also likes Washington a lot, even though he’s sharing time in the wide receivers room, too. Patterson showed flashes of potential last season but he, too, struggled with an ankle injury.
Betts said he prefers to use two backs in a game and will always give more carries to the hot hand(s).
“They’re all in the mix,” Betts said. “I’ve told them all, it’s nobody’s job as of right now. They’ve all got to compete, and we’ll let the chips fall where they may when Week 1 comes.”
Hear from the ADM boys 4×200 relay team after their record-setting run
The ADM relay team of Aiden Flora, Grant Rychnovsky, Zach Lohmann, and Brevin Doll set an Iowa all-time best in the 4×200 relay.
More speed on the way in Brevin Doll
Two freshmen report Monday, in ADM of Adel’s Brevin Doll and Chicago-area native (on the Indiana side) Xavier Williams. Doll is the expected lightning complement to the 230-pound Williams’ thunder.
Doll blazed to Class 3A records of 10.40 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.10 in the 200 at the recent Iowa state track and field meet. Doll also anchored ADM to a state record (all classes) in the 4×200 relay. That gives Betts (and Lester) another speedy weapon to figure out, perhaps as soon as this season.
“I knew he was fast. … But I had no idea he was going to run a 10.4,” Betts said. “That’s like next-level fast. That kind of speed is hard to come by.”
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.