Iowa Hawkeyes' Top Breakout Candidate is Blatantly Obvious

The Iowa Hawkeyes may very well be one of the most interesting teams to watch heading into the 2025 college football season, even if no one outside of Iowa City really knows it.

Iowa opened fall camp on Wednesday, looking to erase the memory of a disappointing 2024 campaign that ended in a loss to the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

As per usual, it was offense that failed the Hawkeyes last season, thanks mostly in part to a horrendous quarterback situation. Well, Iowa may have repaired that in the offseason, nabbing Mark Gronowski via the transfer portal. But will that be enough?

The Hawkeyes lost superstar running back Kaleb Johnson to the NFL Draft, which has opened some very serious questions for Iowa going into the new season. But not to worry: Iowa has a very clear breakout candidate on its roster, and he goes by the name of Kamari Moulton.

Moulton actually began 2024 as the primary halfback for the Hawkeyes, but quickly lost his job to the emerging Johnson after a couple of weeks. However, Moulton flashed serious potential later in the year. He racked up 114 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in a November win over Maryland, and with Johnson sitting out of the Music City Bowl, Moulton logged 96 yards and a score on 14 totes.

What's more, Iowa has a tremendous offensive line that should be able to clear sizeable running lanes for Moulton, much like it did for Johnson last year.

We know that the Hawkeyes rely heavily on their rushing attack, and that probably won't change even with Gronowski now under center. Heck, Gronowski is very mobile himself. That means Moulton will surely be getting a ton of touches in 2025 and could ultimately enjoy a season similar to the one Johnson had a year ago.

Iowa doesn't really have any other truly standout weapons offensively, so Kirk Ferentz will have to rely depend on Moulton quite a bit right from the get go. Don't be surprised if Moulton delivers right off the bat and makes Johnson a distant memory.

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