AKRUM WADLEY TO STAY FOR SENIOR SEASON

Well I don’t think this really surprises anyone.

The University of Iowa announced early Thursday evening that Akrum Wadley is returning to play football at the school for his final season.

The news comes one day after Rob Howe talked to Wadley’s mother, who said she was certain her son would play at Iowa for his senior year.

Wadley is coming off a campaign where he rushed for 1,081 yards and 10 scores. That was all while splitting time with LeShun Daniels, who also rushed for over 1,000 yards. Wadley will become the centerpiece of an offense next year that will see a rookie quarterback but a very capable receiver in Matt VandeBerg. Nothing to say for the fact Iowa returns five starting offensive lineman, who will all have another year of Chris Doyle under their belts.

A release from the university quoted Wadley as saying he has some “unfinished business,” which reminds me of something Desmond King said we he confirmed he would be returning for his senior year:

“It was the right decision for me and my family,” said Wadley. “I met with my parents and we laid out the pros and cons, and came to the decision that it would be best for me to stay at Iowa for my senior year. The main three reasons are to earn my degree, to have another year to prepare physically, and to not end my collegiate career on a bad note; we have some unfinished business.”

Wadley could become the first Hawkeye running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in multiple seasons since Fred Russell. The only other Iowa running backs to ever rush for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons are Ladell Betts and Sedrick Shaw.

It’s going to be really exciting to see what Wadley can do when he’s on the field the majority of the time. No shade to Daniels, but Wadley brings a lot more options to the table, and is capable of making video game spins, like this:

Welcome back, Mr. Wadley. We’re happy to have you.