Iowa
Iowa football: Why redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton is rising in loaded running backs room
Video: Iowa RB Kamari Moulton on development ahead of 2024 season
At Iowa football Media Day on Aug. 9, running back Kamari Moulton talks about his growth ahead of the 2024 season.
IOWA CITY — Ladell Betts was just talking about this.
During the Kids Day at Kinnick open practice, Kamari Moulton, standing in the backfield with quarterback Brendan Sullivan, ran near the sideline as a check-down option. Sullivan, who went through his progressions, settled with slinging the ball out wide to Moulton.
The pass was a touch behind Moulton, but he adjusted to haul it in. Though it seemed like a rather unremarkable play in a quiet Kids Day performance for Moulton, it spoke to a larger theme.
The day before, Betts, Iowa’s running backs coach, talked about this scenario — almost to a tee.
“If I had to say he had a weakness coming out, it would be his catching the ball and route-running,” Betts said of Moulton. “And those are things he’s worked on and those are things he and I talked about. To me, you wouldn’t even know it’s a weakness at this point.”
Video: Ladell Betts on Leshon Williams, Kaleb Johnson and more
Running backs coach Ladell Betts discusses a variety of topics at Iowa football media day on August 9, 2024.
The redshirt freshman’s rapid ascent on offense reached a new high-water mark when the pre-Illinois State depth chart dropped on Monday — he was listed as the Hawkeyes’ first-team running back. The reasoning for that, as explained by head coach Kirk Ferentz, is multi-pronged.
First, Leshon Williams missed time during fall camp. Williams, coming off the best season of his college career, expects to build off his success of 2023. But an injury, which set back his timeline, also opened up an opportunity for Moulton.
But Moulton has also taken advantage of it.
“Really started showing in December when we were doing more work with the guys,” Ferentz said. “He’d been on the scout team most of the time last year. It seemed like he was maybe a guy who could pop through here a little bit. I think he’s certainly done that in August.”
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In the short time he has been at Iowa, Moulton has already given a window, albeit brief, into his potential. He was one of the unexpected standouts from the Hawkeyes’ win over Western Michigan last September, when he ran for 50 yards and two touchdowns. But overall, his role was not significant — with that game counting for more than half of his rushing yards on the season as he maintained his redshirt.
“I think last season was a great feeling for me,” Moulton said earlier in August. “Just to be a freshman and be able to travel and see different places and different things. I feel like it was great for my mental and see what I can do, see where places I can be and achieve.”
From Citrus Bowl preparation to the spring to now being on the horizon of the 2024 season, Moulton has risen in the running backs room. He added bulk to his frame, putting on 12 pounds since last season, according to Iowa’s official roster. Rice, chicken and steak, along with work in the weight room, helped him do that.
Buzz around Moulton from the spring was reflected in the pre-fall camp depth chart, on which he was listed as the third-team running back, jumping returning contributor Jaziun Patterson. With Williams out during the Kids Day open practice, Moulton got some reps with the first team. And now heading into Week 1, he has moved past Kaleb Johnson and Williams.
“He’s had a great attitude since he’s been here,” Ferentz said of Moulton, a Florida native. “He’s got good vision. He’s bigger and stronger physically than he was certainly a year ago, year-plus ago when he got here. All that’s good, and that’s one of the benefits of experience. Happy about that. He’s got a tremendous attitude, but he’s got a real good vision, a good ability to see things that maybe other guys can’t see, and that’s been pretty consistent.”
Even then, it’s somewhat surprising Moulton has gotten to the RB1 line so fast. Johnson is considered a potential breakout candidate. Williams has returned to practice and figures to be a significant factor. Patterson is capable of being a contributor. Which makes Moulton’s status all the more impressive, especially for someone who has just 93 career rushing yards to his name.
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But just because Moulton is listed as the first-team running back doesn’t negate the fact that Iowa likely won’t be shy in sharing the love. Or potentially riding whoever the hot hand(s) if it emerges. That’s how good Iowa’s running backs room could be.
“I envision us playing a lot of the guys in the group,” Ferentz said. “Max White’s done a good job, too. I feel like it’s a good group that way. We’ll just kind of see how it plays out as we keep going forward. History would say you can never have too many backs, that’s for sure.”
Unlike Johnson, who is physically gifted in many ways, Moulton is not especially imposing in stature. He is listed at just 5-foot-9. The muscle he added has helped make him better suited as a college running back, but it’s not as if he is some genetic wrecking ball.
But he can actually use that to his advantage.
“A lot of the times, (notable plays) happen when you don’t think it’s going to,” defensive lineman Jeremiah Pittman said of Moulton. “Because you think the gap’s sealed off, he either slithers through or he knows how to cut. Like he makes some good cuts. But being a smaller guy, he’s really agile. So I think he knows how to make something out of nothing.”
For instance:
“If I’m a 3-tech going B (gap) and I see him in A (gap), he might not be there by the time I shed the block and get there just because he’s so quick,” Pittman said.
It remains to be seen what type of longevity Moulton holds in that role. But his progress has been a fascinating development in a position group already projected to be one of the best on Iowa’s offense. The Hawkeyes can take all the help they can get as they try to get a rebuilding offense back on its feet under new coordinator Tim Lester.
“He’s just a ball of enjoyment,” defensive back Jermari Harris said of Moulton. “When you talk to him, he’s always smiling. And he plays like that on the field. Hard-nosed runner, can get downhill, great vision. I think he’s shown that over these last couple of weeks.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points apiece, and Aday Mara had two tiebreaking shots in the final 1:22 as No. 3 Michigan defeated Iowa 71-68 on Thursday night.
The Wolverines (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) were held 18 points below their season scoring average, but managed to hold off the Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9) in the closing seconds.
Iowa went on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 64 with 1:56 to play before Mara banked in a shot before the shot clock expired, putting Michigan in front again. After Iowa’s Cam Manyawu scored inside to tie the game at 66, Mara, who finished with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, scored off a lob with 43 seconds left to put the Wolverines ahead to stay.
Iowa had chances to tie the game on back-to-back possessions, but missed three shots on one of the possessions and lost the ball on another after a turnover by Tavion Banks with seven seconds left.
The Hawkeyes had a final chance to tie the game after Lendeborg made two free throws with four seconds remaining, but Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer try was long.
Elliot Cadeau added 11 points for the Wolverines, the Big Ten regular-season champions.
Stirtz led Iowa with 21 points. Manyawu had 14.
Michigan had a 38-25 rebounding edge on the Hawkeyes.
The game was tied at 30 at halftime. Michigan shot 50% from the field, but committed 12 turnovers that Iowa turned into 16 points.
The Hawkeyes were 11 of 31 from the field, with Stirtz especially struggling to make shots. Stirtz, Iowa’s leading scorer this season, made just one of his first nine shots, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a 27-second span to give Iowa a 30-28 lead.
Up next
Michigan: Hosts No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday.
Iowa: At No. 9 Nebraska on Sunday.
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Repeat offenders convicted of multiple serious crimes would receive a mandatory 20-year prison sentence under a bill passed by House lawmakers.
House lawmakers debated for more than an hour about high costs, lack of prison space and the bill’s impact on Black Iowans before voting 68-23 to pass House File 2542, sending it to the Iowa Senate.
Seven Democrats, including Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, joined Republicans in voting in favor of the bill.
“It will put public safety first,” said the bill’s floor manager, Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison. “It will ensure that the debt to victims and society is paid. It will prioritize victims and public safety over criminals. It will establish real and effective deterrence that is nonexistent in our current system. It will reduce chaos and violence in our society.”
Here’s what to know about the bill.
What would the House Republican three strikes bill do?
Iowans who accumulate three strikes would face a mandatory 20-year prison sentence, with no parole, under the bill.
That would replace Iowa’s current law that says habitual offenders must serve a minimum three-year prison sentence before they are eligible for parole.
All felonies, as well as aggravated misdemeanors involving sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault and organized retail theft would be considered level-one offenses that are worth one full strike.
Other aggravated misdemeanors, as well as serious misdemeanors involving assault, domestic abuse and criminal mischief would be considered level-two offenses worth half a strike each.
Lawmakers amended the bill to remove theft, harassment and possession of a controlled substance from the crimes that would count toward a person’s strikes.
And the amendment specifies that the bill would only apply to convictions that occur beginning July 1, 2026.
If someone is arrested and convicted of multiple offenses, only the most serious charge would count towards the defendant’s strikes.
Convictions would not count toward someone’s total if more than 20 years passes between a prior conviction and their current conviction.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to say that only a violent crime would qualify as someone’s third strike, but Republicans rejected the amendment.
“The bill still scores murder, felony embezzlement and felony theft the same, even though they are very different crimes,” Wilburn said. “One point is one point and three gets you 20 years with no ability for parole or judicial discretion.”
Holt said the legislation leaves room for judicial and prosecutorial discretion.
“There are deferred sentences, there are plea bargains,” he said. “There is plenty of opportunity for grace and judicial discretion in the legislation that we are proposing.”
Bill could cost millions, require Iowa to build a new prison, agency says
A fiscal analysis of the bill by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency said it could cost Iowa nearly $165 million more per year by 2031 based on the cost of housing inmates for longer prison stays.
- FY 2027: $33 million
- FY 2028: $66 million
- FY 2029: $99 million
- FY 2030: $132 million
- FY 2031: $164.9 million
The agency said if the bill had been in effect between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025, there would have been 5,373 people who qualified for the 20-year mandatory minimum sentence.
“An increase in the prison population due to increased (length of stay) will require the DOC to build additional prison(s),” the agency states. “The size, security and other features that a future prison may require cannot be determined, but costs would be significant.”
The analysis noted that South Dakota appropriated $650 million last fall to build a 1,500-bed prison.
As of March 1, the Iowa Department of Corrections’ website describes the state’s prison system as being overcrowded by 25%, with 8,705 inmates compared to a capacity of 6,990.
The Office of the State Public Defender could see a projected cost increase of $1.6 million due to an increased number of trials resulting from the legislation.
But the agency’s estimates come with a caveat — the Department of Corrections did not respond to its requests for data.
“The LSA has not received a response to multiple requests for information from the DOC,” the note states. “Without additional information, the LSA cannot estimate the total fiscal impact of the bill.”
Holt called the fiscal note “an embarrassment to the Department of Corrections” and “an agenda masquerading as math.”
“It is clear, in my judgment, that because they did not like the legislation they went all out and extreme to create a fiscal note that cannot be taken seriously in its assumptions,” he said. “It assumes that nothing will change, that there will be no deterrent factor and that the numbers will continue as usual.”
Black Iowans would be disproportionately impacted by the law
The Legislative Services Agency analysis says the bill “may disproportionately impact Black individuals if trends remain constant.”
Of the 29,438 people convicted in fiscal year 2025 of felonies and aggravated misdemeanors that constitute a level one offense under the bill, the agency said about 70% were White, 22% were Black and 9% were other races.
Iowa’s overall population is 83% White, 4% Black and 13% other races, the agency said.
It’s not clear how the bill’s impact would change to account for the House amendment removing some crimes from counting towards the three strikes.
“Expanding three-strike laws will intensify disparities — and that’s what this statement shows — by mandating longer sentences, limiting judicial discretion,” Wilburn said. “We already have a habitual offender statute. We already have one in place. We have a 10-year low in recidivism in our correctional system.”
Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, said California’s three strikes law, passed in the 1990s, worsened racial disparities, and “Iowa is about to repeat the same mistake.”
“I urge every member here, do not pass legislation that our own minority impact statement tells us will deepen inequality in our state,” Ramirez said.
Holt said minority communities in Iowa are impacted by crime and that the legislation “will make citizens of all colors safer.”
And he said the minority impact statement “tells only one side of the story, doesn’t it? It tells the criminal’s story. What about the victim’s story?”
“What about the mother who will continue to tuck her kids in at night and read them Bible stories because she never became the next victim of a violent career criminal?” he said. “Where is that data point in the minority impact statement?”
House lawmakers also approved separate legislation that would increase Iowa’s statewide bond schedule, Senate File 2399.
That bill passed on a vote of 74-19.
Iowans could see more information on judges’ rulings
Iowans would have access to more information about judges’ rulings ahead of the state’s judicial retention elections under a separate measure, House File 2719, which passed on a 73-19 vote.
The Iowa secretary of state’s office would be required to publish information including:
- The percentage of cases in which the judge set a bond amount lower than the state’s bond schedule
- The frequency that the judge releases someone on their own recognizance for a violent offense compared to a nonviolent offense
- The frequency that the judge’s final sentence is lower than statutory recommendations or a prosecutor’s recommendations
- The number of times the judge issues a deferred judgement, deferred sentence or suspended sentence
- The number of times the judge’s rulings are reversed on appeal due to abuse of discretion or error of law
- The average time it takes the judge to rule on a motion or case
- The number of cases the judge has resolved compared to the number of cases on the judge’s docket
The data would have to be displayed with a five-year trend line beginning five years after the bill takes effect.
The Secretary of State’s Office would also be required to maintain a searchable database of all judicial opinions and orders for the judge’s current term and the preceding six years. The decisions would be redacted when appropriate.
And judges would have the opportunity to write a 2,000-word personal statement on their judicial philosophy or data trends present in their rulings.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
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