Former Iowa football RB finds new home in the transfer portal

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Iowa‘s running game was a big part of their success in the 2025 season.

Running behind the Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line, along with a mobile quarterback in Mark Gronowski, Iowa‘s running backs were able to thrive last season. Kamari Moulton finished the year with a team-leading 878 yards on the ground, despite missing multiple games to injury. Freshman Xavier Williams pitched in 285 yards on 5.8 yards per carry, and even true freshman Nathan McNeil showed flashes of exciting play.

With all of that depth in the running back room, there was bound to be a guy who found himself on the outside looking in going forward. And for the Hawkeyes, that was sophomore Terrell Washington Jr. After officially moving from wide receiver to running back, many thought that Washington Jr. could be an explosive piece in Tim Lester’s offense. Unfortunately, that never materialized, as Washington Jr. found himself on the bench more often than he did on the field.

Not surprisingly, that led to him entering his name in the transfer portal following the end of the season. And on Tuesday, Washington Jr. announced he’s going to be taking his talents to New Mexico State in 2026.

Across sparse action in three seasons at Iowa, Washington Jr. amassed 182 rushing yards, while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He also caught 10 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. And now he’ll get a chance to showcase his talents as a premier back for the Aggies.

New Mexico State’s rushing game wasn’t very good in 2025, as the entire team combined for 927 yards on the ground on a putrid 2.6 yards per attempt.

Throw in the fact that leading rusher Kadarius Calloway is graduating, and the need was real to pick up a running back in the portal. And they did just that by landing the former Hawkeye. This will be a good move for Washington Jr. and a better chance to show the nation what he can do.

For the Hawkeyes, they’ve already begun to supplement the running back room in the portal. Moulton, Williams, and McNeil are all set to return in 2026, but that didn’t stop Iowa from adding a talented and explosive back. Iowa landed South Dakota transfer running back LJ Phillips Jr. over the weekend.

Phillips led the FCS in rushing yards last season with 1,920 and also had 19 rushing touchdowns. He has multiple years of eligibility remaining, which is the cherry on top.

So while Washington Jr. and Jaz Patterson have found new homes, it’s safe to assume that Iowa’s running game should continue to be elite in 2026 and beyond.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa football RB finds new home in the transfer portal

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