Wadley could be a "Jewel" Hampton in the rough

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uihawk82

Well-Known Member
This is more a play on words that using the meaning of 'diamond in the rough" but Wadley looks like he has a lot of potential and he turned potential into good productivity today. He somewhat reminds me of Jewel Hampton.

I thought Wadley showed he can really pick up his feet to avoid tackles, he can make a quick cut in the hole, has above avg speed , and for his size showed some really good power. All really good stuff.

But he has to show that over the long haul while being durable, not fumble, catch the ball , and block the blitzer.

I am not like Dolph saying he is an "emerging star" but he showed great promise.
 
He's very quick and hits the holes hard. Needs to cover the ball up more on those spins but he's got a bright future.
 
let's hope "he who shalt not be named" doesn't make an appearance. He's already got Daniels this year.
 
He looked like a fast back...smaller, so I don't see any Jewell Hampton. Not as thick as Fred Russell...maybe more Damien Sims. I think the Shaw line had to be in jest
 
uihawk82 said:
Much more like Shaw who could spin and juke and power thru tacklers.

Tavian was so fast and could make some good cuts.
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Tavian was very fast but went down fairly easy. Wadley wasn't afraid to put his head down and was table to slip through tackles today.
 
JonDMiller said:
Shaw was one of the most powerful backs Iowa has had in my lifetime. I don't see that one
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I say he and Betts were the best in my lifetime. Born in 1976 and I can't remember a RB better then those two in terms of power running.

Betts might have been the best because he played on some bad teams early in his career and still was able to get yards. Greene was amazing as well but only had that one year.
 
JonDMiller said:
Shaw was one of the most powerful backs Iowa has had in my lifetime. I don't see that one
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Shaw would do a 360 while Tavian really didnt was the main similarity I saw between Shaw and Wadley. I am not saying Wadley is equal to Shaw now.

I think jNW was without their starting DeeTackles the whole second half so I reserve judgment on Wadley until I see more game time.
 
mrolympia said:
you had to be able to get a hand on tavian to bring him down. before he got a bit dinged up that was pretty much impossible. Guy had moves like Barry Sanders.
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No doubt he could fly and outran a lot of guys. He had exceptional speed and quickness but wasn't one to break out of tackles like Shaw and Betts did.

He was a different type of runner for sure.
 
Not bad for a "2 star" recruit's debut and definitely fits the diamond in the rough category. He had an opportunity to contribute this week and took advantage of it. Nicely done.
 
uihawk82 said:
Shaw would do a 360 while Tavian really didnt was the main similarity I saw between Shaw and Wadley. I am not saying Wadley is equal to Shaw now.

I think jNW was without their starting DeeTackles the whole second half so I reserve judgment on Wadley until I see more game time.
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In my opinion the opponent doesn't really matter when judging a runningback's talent. You can still see how quick and shifty they are regardless of who they're playing.

I was extremely impressed with what I saw from him. Haven't seen an iowa back look as skilled as him since McCall's 9 carries.
 
JonDMiller said:
If I could have one back as a prototype and have him every year, a Shaw type is my guy
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I'm more of a Banks kind of guy. Can't go wrong either way though. Pretty random (and kind of unfortunate) that we had 2 backs that good at the same time.
 
I was definitely reminded of Russell, although Wadley obviously isn't built quite the same. But he showcased a lot of traits that I thought were pretty similar. Good, but not elite speed, very shifty and deceptively tough between the tackles. You look at Russell or Wadley, and you wouldn't expect them to be good inside runners, but Wadley was surprisingly physical. I definitely would like the idea of having him as our James White to Parker's Melvin Gordon.
 
PCHawk said:
I'm more of a Banks kind of guy. Can't go wrong either way though. Pretty random (and kind of unfortunate) that we had 2 backs that good at the same time.
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The BIG BOYS have that kind of depth most years. So I would say it was fortunate. Because if Iowa can stockpile talent, well, then we have the type of program we all want. Just in 2014 we lost a parade all american running back - a future nfl receiver and a pair of D-1 quality QBs - and we STILL have been able to keep ourselves in the running for the west title. Iowa State type depth and we are 2-6 right now instead of 6-2
 
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