Hawkeyes’ Ivory Kelly-Martin will not use extra year of eligibility

Backup running back tweets that he’s entering NFL Draft

Jan. 5, 2022 3:05 pm, Updated: Jan. 5, 2022 3:25 pm

Iowa Hawkeyes players, including running back Ivory Kelly-Martin (21), carry the Cy-Hawk Trophy after their win over the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Running back Ivory Kelly-Martin’s won’t be using his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility, he said in a tweet Wednesday.

“I’m happy to have had the chance to wear the black and gold, and I’ll cherish all the memories I’ve experienced in Iowa City and especially at Kinnick Stadium,” Kelly-Martin wrote in the tweet. “I’m excited to say that I’ll be entering my name in the 2022 NFL Draft and fulfilling a childhood dream that is the next step of my career.”

Kelly-Martin, who was often plagued with injuries, finished his time at Iowa with 804 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry.

A toe injury hampered his 2021 season. He took his first handoff in the Citrus Bowl since October, but redshirt freshmen Gavin Williams and Leshon Williams had larger roles in the offense in Iowa’s 20-17 loss to Kentucky.