Iowa RB Gavin Williams Hits Portal

IOWA CITY, Iowa - A fifth Iowa Football player announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal Friday afternoon. Sophomore running back Gavin Williams posted on social media that he was leaving the Hawkeyes. 

"Hawkeye Nation, I want to thank you for welcoming me and allowing me to represent the black and gold," Williams wrote in his statement. "To my teammates, coaches and training staff, thank you for all your support throughout my time here at Iowa. The connections I've made during my time here will truly last a lifetime. 

"With all things considered, I've decided to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left." 

Williams joined Hawkeye receivers Arland Bruce IV, who announced Friday morning, and Keagan Johnson, backup quarterback Alex Padilla and offensive lineman Josh Volk in entering the transfer portal. The Hawkeyes added Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara to the roster on Thursday night. 

Williams (6-0, 214) began the season at the top of Iowa's depth chart after starting the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1. He suffered an injury in August camp that sidelined him for the opener against South Dakota State on Sept. 3. He returned the next week against Iowa State and logged 16 carries in Week 3 against Nevada. 

After carrying the ball seven times in the Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Sept. 24, Williams took a backseat to classmate LeShon Williams and true freshman Kaleb Johnson in the offensive backfield. He had 18 total attempts during the team's final eight contests. 

Williams ended up rushing for 138 yards (3.2 per carry) on 43 totes in '22. He finished his Iowa career with 471 yards (4.5 per carry) in 26 games with three starts. 

Three scholarship running backs remain (Leshon Williams, Johnson and true freshman Jaziun Patterson) on Iowa's current roster. The Hawkeyes have one known verbal commitment at the position in the '23 recruiting class in Florida's Kamari Moulton. They could look to supplement that group before next season.