RB DeAndre Johnson Dismissed: What Does This Mean for the Iowa Hawkeyes?

Now that Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have dismissed running back DeAndre Johnson from the team, the two-man rotation at running back will likely include ten carries a piece.

This spells disaster for a team that already had a shaky foundation at the running back position.

Marcus Coker already transferred to Stony Brook, amid controversy, and took the majority of the rushing offense with him.

Next, Mika'il McCall transferred after he was suspended by the team for unspecified reasons and missed the bowl game.

The problems continued as the second most experienced back, Jordan Canzeri, tore his ACL during spring practice this year

That left the team with sophomores Johnson and Damon Bullock.

Now with the dismissal of Johnson, it leaves Bullock as the only option for starter that has any experience.

He brings in 10 carries and 20 total yards from 2011. The answer may lie in the upcoming freshmen, Greg Garmon and Barkley Hill. 

Barkley Hill of Cedar Falls, Iowa is the most likely option for the No. 2 spot since Garmon will not be suspended but will come into camp on thin ice because of a marijuana charge this earlier this summer.

His punishment, if any, hasn’t been decided yet.

The problem with this is that besides James Vandenberg, there are no other position players that have been in a leadership role. The run game has been a staple of Iowa football over the Kirk Ferentz-reign, but this year may be a little different.

With Vandenberg coming into his senior season as one of the best passers in the Big Ten, Iowa may be throwing the ball quite a bit more than usual with the continued woes at running back.

Bullock is a solid running back, but neither him nor the two incoming freshmen will likely be able to match the output that Coker did in his freshman and sophomore campaigns.

I think this is just another distraction that could perhaps leave the Hawkeyes doubting their own team, leading to potentially another seven win season for the team.

The best case scenario is one of the incoming freshman explodes. The key to which isn’t their in-game stats, but their off-the-field antics.

Something has got to give this season with the loss of all these running backs, and I’m afraid that it will be a few close games that the team isn’t able to close out due to a poor running attack.