Ex-Hawkeye Wegher to join Carolina Panthers

Former University of Iowa running back Brandon Wegher announced Monday that he will sign a free agent contract with the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

Wegher. 24, is coming off a senior season at Morningside College in Sioux City in which he rushed for an NAIA-record 2,610 yards and scored 39 touchdowns. He played two seasons for the Mustangs after having been out of football for three years. He became the school's all-time rushing leader in just two seasons.

As a Hawkeye in the 2009 season, the Sioux City native set an Iowa record for freshmen in 2009 with eight rushing touchdowns. He rushed for 641 yards, capped with 113 in Iowa's Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech.

'It was one of the best years of my life,” Wegher told KCAU-TV in Sioux City. 'I mean I loved playing football at Iowa. I had a lot of great experiences, a lot of great friends. That was an experience that I'll never forget.”

But he had off-field issues and left Iowa after that season, and didn't return to college football until 2013.

'I lost everything I worked my entire life for,” Wegher said. 'I was in a different place mentally.”

Wegher participated at Iowa State's Pro Day on March 24.

Another former Hawkeye, quarterback Cody Sokol of Louisiana Tech, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs.