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Report: Former Iowa, NFL RB expected to join Hawkeyes staff
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Kirk Ferentz is reportedly adding a former Iowa and NFL running back to his staff for the upcoming season.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel reported on Saturday that Iowa is expected to hire Ladell Betts to be the next running backs coach for the Hawkeyes. Betts did play under Ferentz, suiting up for the Hawkeyes from 1997-2001. He was then a second-round selection in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Iowa had a vacancy at its running backs coach position this offseason with Derrick Betts leaving the program for the NFL. According to Thamel, Betts has been coaching high school football at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Sources: Iowa expected to hire Ladell Betts as the school's next running back coach. He's a former Iowa star, NFL player and was coaching high school at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 13, 2021
Betts appeared in 46 games during his career at Iowa and rushed for 3,686 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also added 702 yards and 2 touchdowns catching passes out of the backfield for the Hawkeyes.
Betts eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001. He scored at least 5 touchdowns every year over the four seasons he was on the field at Iowa.
After his time at Iowa came to a close, Betts went on to enjoy a nine-year career in the NFL. He played for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints and rushed for 3,326 yards, had 1,646 receiving yards and scored 19 total touchdowns.
The Hawkeyes closed out the year 6-2 in 2020.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB