There's been a steady stream of players from Iowa's offense departing over the last week -- and it hasn't stopped yet. The latest to join Alex Padilla, Josh Volk, Keagan Johnson, and Arland Bruce IV? A running back:
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— Gavin Williams (@gwill_25) December 2, 2022
Gavin Williams, a third-year running back from Altoona, IA, entered the offseason a year ago as Iowa's presumptive starting running back for the 2022 season. When Tyler Goodson opted to leave Iowa early for the NFL Draft after the Big Ten Championship Game, Williams got the first opportunity to replace him as RB1 in the Citrus Bowl -- and he put forth a very credible showing, running 16 times for 98 yards against Kentucky in that game. His tag team partner in the backfield, Leshon Williams (no relation), had 10 carries for 42 yards in that game.
Gavin and Leshon battled throughout spring football and summer practice and it seemed like Iowa would probably use a two-man rotation at running back, with both Williamses getting a healthy amount of carries. But injury slowed Gavin Williams at the end of summer practice and he ended up missing the regular season opener against South Dakota State. Leshon started, and ran 24 times for 72 yards. Gavin made his season debut the next week, against Iowa State, picking up 10 yards on two carries; Leshon ran the ball 14 times for 34 yards and Iowa's only touchdown. Gavin's biggest workload of the season came in Week 3, when he had 16 carries for 57 yards. He didn't have a game after that with more than seven carries or 20 yards.
What happened? Injuries slowed him a bit, but Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson simply seemed to be more effective running backs for Iowa this season -- to the extent that any of the running backs were able to be "effective" in this offense. Johnson especially was a revelation as he eventually became Iowa's starting running back and ran for 762 yards and six touchdowns on 142 carries (5.4 ypc). Leshon Williams ended up totaling 410 yards and touchdowns on 114 carries (3.6 ypc). Gavin Williams finished the season with 43 carries for 138 yards (3.2 ypc).
By the end of the season, Gavin Williams was third-string on the RB depth chart and rarely saw playing time outside of spot duty as a third-down back. Given that diminished role (especially from what was expected before the season), it's not a surprise to see him depart for a new opportunity. We wish him the best of luck as he leaves Iowa and hope that he finds a better fit elsewhere. Thanks for the last few years, Gavin, and good luck.
