Hawkeye RB Jewel Hampton seeks starting job

IOWA CITY (AP) - Iowa's Jewel Hampton entered his sophomore year all but assured of a three-year stint as the Hawkeyes starting running back.

But knee surgery, the emergence of two talented young backs and the offseason arrest that earned Hampton a one-game suspension have clogged his once-promising career path.

Hampton enters his third fall camp as just another redshirt sophomore looking to prove himself.

Iowa, which finished 11-2 in 2009, started practice on Friday. Hampton missed last season following knee surgery and is listed as a third-stringer behind fellow sophomores Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher.

Hampton said during the team's annual media day that's he trying to keep a level head and move past the adversity he's faced lately.