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.”
Video: Kirk Ferentz on Cade McNamara and more ahead of season-opener
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz discusses a variety of topics ahead of the Hawkeyes’ 2024 season-opener vs. Illinois State.
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.
More: Leistikow: A Kaleb Johnson resurgence would stave off quarterback panic for Iowa football
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
The offers come as Iowa transitions oversight of state websites and data to two private companies.
What to know about Iowa’s IT layoffs as it outsources data management
Iowa is laying off roughly 200 state workers as part of a plan that transfers management of state government data and websites from a state agency.
IT employees laid off as Iowa privatizes management of its government data and websites are receiving job offers from a private company contracting with the state, as promised by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Cognizant Government Solutions, the New Jersey-based company tasked with taking over daily IT operations for Iowa’s executive branch, sent offer letters to state workers whose jobs are being terminated as a result of the transition, according to the governor’s office and a state employee who is part of the layoffs.
Reynolds, who initially announced the transition to Cognizant and Amazon Web Services on June 9, maintained that the roughly 200 impacted state employees would receive “individualized, competitive job offers” from Cognizant by June 25.
State employees have until July 10 to accept Cognizant’s offers before the two companies begin providing the state services on Aug. 3.
The governor has touted the transition as a continuation of her administration’s initiative to consolidate and centralize the state’s IT services, which her office says will save taxpayers more than $525 million over 10 years
“This isn’t easy. Nobody likes to make decisions like that. It’s hard. We are so fortunate to have just the workforce that we have at the state,” Reynolds said in a June 19 interview on PBS’s Iowa Press. “They are providing the services every single day. But I also have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Iowa and Iowa, and we can’t keep doing things the way we did 40 years ago.
“This is where industry is going. This is where government is going.”
A state employee who was part of the layoffs and who asked to remain anonymous for fear of jeopardizing their employment, said they received an offer June 25 that included less expansive health and retirement benefits compared to state plans and a salary slightly higher than their state earnings.
Amid the layoff announcement, multiple state IT workers faced confusion and fear over their employment status as they waited for clear confirmation on future work, wages or benefits with Cognizant.
During one of many meetings between employees, state and Cognizant, employees were told if they accept the Cognizant offer, their job descriptions will remain the same for one year, according to the laid-off employee.
The companies will adjust job descriptions or let workers pick a different contract, the worker said, but there are no guarantees of employment past the first year.
“We are eager to welcome you to the team! You are joining the Company at an exciting time, and we know your fresh thinking and expertise will help us accomplish great things,” a Cognizant offer letter obtained by the Register states.
The state will pay Cognizant and AWS nearly $420 million over the next decade, $80.4 million of which will go to AWS to shift the state’s data from dozens of data centers and thousands of physical servers to a cloud-based system, according to contracts.
Gov. Kim Reynolds: State data is ‘secure’
As Iowa transfers oversight of government websites and data to Cognizant and AWS, Reynolds insisted the information will remain safeguarded.
“It (state data) absolutely is secure,” Reynolds said on Iowa Press. “There are all kinds of contracts and MOU and things that you have to sign. And even when it came to like the HIPAA data, we’ve got a form that you have to sign that you can’t release any of the information. They (Cognizant and AWS) have absolutely no access to any of that data.”
A data privacy framework for Cognizant to deal with customer data and confidential information is laid out in the contract between the company and the state. Under the agreement, the company must keep state data “secure, and not disclose or use it for any purpose other than providing Services under the Agreement,” the contract states.
The company may only retain state data to perform IT services for Iowa or with prior written approval of the state.
Rapid Response Politics Reporter Maya Marchel Hoff can be reached at mmarchelHoff@usatodayco.com. You can find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @mmarchelhoff.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Law enforcement in Johnson County is preparing for hundreds of thousands of visitors this weekend as multiple major events converge on the area simultaneously.
The Savannah Bananas are playing to a sold-out Kinnick Stadium crowd Friday and Saturday. A Big and Rich free concert is scheduled in Coralville Friday night. Downtown Iowa City will host Jazz Fest all weekend.
Residents prepare for the crowds
In University Heights — a small city nestled inside Iowa City — resident Maria Scott said she and her husband moved to the corner of Koser and Sunset eight years ago for the quiet.
“Thought it would be a place to land and raise our family,” Scott said.
During Hawkeye home football games, Scott said, that quiet corner becomes a high-demand parking spot. The family uses their lawn as a parking lot.
“I think we park 35 cars just on this property,” Scott said.
This weekend, the Scott family is preparing for two nights of full capacity on their property.
Police plan for game-day-level crowds
The University Heights Police Department is also preparing. University of Iowa Public Safety posted a message to social media listing the weekend’s events and asking the public to be patient.
University Heights Police Chief Chris Akers said the volume of activity is not typical.
“Is this normal to have this much going on during a holiday weekend? Absolutely not,” Akers said.
Akers said officers will assist with traffic and crowd control and will also work inside the stadium. He said the department plans to treat the weekend like a game day, with tens of thousands of people in the area over two days.
“When you come in to Iowa City, you come in to Coralville, you come in to University Heights, you come to the University of Iowa — be patient,” Akers said. “Realize that after that game, the stadium holds about 70,000 people and everybody wants to get home.”
Scott said community participation helps make weekends like this work.
“Our kids love it,” Scott said. “They always ask, ‘When do the tailgaters come back?’”
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — An Iowa City man is facing a felony theft charge after police say he was involved in an armed robbery in downtown Iowa City earlier this year.
According to the criminal complaint, 20-year-old Boubacar Dioubate is charged with second-degree theft.
Police say the robbery happened around 12:49 a.m. on April 18 in the 100 block of South Clinton Street.
Court documents allege the victim was approached by three suspects who threatened to stab and shoot him. Investigators say one of the suspects held a knife while demanding the victim’s cellphone.
The victim reported that his $500 cellphone, a $1,000 necklace and $200 in cash were stolen, for a total value of about $1,700.
According to the complaint, security cameras captured the incident. Investigators say the footage shows Dioubate assaulting the victim, repeatedly grabbing the victim’s phone and taking the victim’s necklace.
Police also say the stolen cellphone was tracked to Dioubate’s Iowa City address a few hours after the robbery.
Dioubate was arrested, and the charge was filed in Johnson County District Court. The case remains pending.
-
Maine4 minutes agoCooling centers to open in Maine as heat, air quality advisories take effect Wednesday
-
Maryland6 minutes agoTeen allegedly hits off-duty officer, crashes into Maryland home
-
Michigan12 minutes agoMichigan mayor’s 7-year-old nephew found dead in Menands, New York, authorities say
-
Massachusetts19 minutes agoMissing Massachusetts cat miraculously found underneath owners’ new bathtub — after disappearing for 30 hours
-
Minnesota21 minutes agoSt. Paul resident’s special connection to the Declaration of Independence
-
Mississippi27 minutes agoAmy Carruth named director of Mississippi State Hospital – SuperTalk Mississippi
-
Missouri34 minutes agoGov. Kehoe signs Missouri FY27 budget totaling $50.7B. What you need to know
-
Montana36 minutes agoNew health care system director appointed at Montana VA
