Iowa has health, wealth at running back

IOWA CITY — Last fall, LeShun Daniels had a bone crack enough in his foot/ankle to sideline him for five games. This might end being one of those 'best-worst things to ever happen to me.'

Daniels has always looked the part of burly, 20-carry running back. At 6-0, 235 pounds, the body was never the problem. Or maybe it was. However you look at it, the stress fracture caused Daniels and Iowa coaches to take another course with his winter conditioning.

Instead of bulking up, Daniels talked with strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle and decided to go the other way.

'After I got hurt, coach Doyle and I had a discussion,' said Daniels, who, if things go as planned, should pass his 2014 season rushing total of 49 yards in the first half of Saturday's season opener against Illinois State. 'We thought it would help my conditioning level, my quickness, my explosiveness. We talked about it at the end of the season last year. When I got back in January, I sat down with coach Doyle again and we really got down to it.'

A fitter, quicker Daniels will be a big part of Iowa's backfield plans against Illinois State. Senior Jordan Canzeri also will be a big part of it. His January was similarly interesting.

First, Canzeri cleared the one last health hurdle that nagged from the 2014 season, which was one long nagging injury for him with ankle and heel injuries kicking up. Canzeri had his ankle scoped, it was a quick recovery and back to the conditioning program, which has been sort of a big deal for Canzeri throughout his five years.

He played in the 2011 Insight Bowl against Oklahoma as a true freshman weighing in at around 170 pounds. So, the weightroom journey for Canzeri has always been packing on the weight.

This winter was different. Canzeri hit his prescribed weight of 190-something (he's listed at 192) every time. Canzeri called it a 'gain-maintain' winter.

'I'm trusting in the weight that they wanted me to be at and I was at that mark,' said Canzeri, who rushed for 494 yards last season. 'I'm a guy who can lose it quickly. I had to maintain that strict schedule with eating habits and hydration outside of the building.'

At the very least, this is a look into the personalized workout programs for each player. It's not one-size fits all.

You know Iowa and running backs. Head coach Kirk Ferentz watched Daniels and Canzeri over the winter. Tuesday, he beamed over the idea of Iowa running backs and good health.

'I go back to January for both guys,' Ferentz said. 'They're healthy now. Every phase that we've gone through they've done a really nice job. As a coach, you kind of bank on what you see, how players work, how they practice. That's the best way to project how they're going to play. Both of those guys have been in games too, so it's not like it's anything new for them.'

Daniels' winter has the potential to be a game-changer for his career and an Iowa offense that finished seventh in rushing in the Big Ten last season. You want 225-pound running backs who can jump cut and accelerate through holes in the defense.

'I felt a change in my conditioning level and my strength,' Daniels said. 'I feel like I have more energy. Going into spring ball, I felt like I could do more on the field, make more explosive plays.'

That is a pretty big deal for an offense that finished 78th in the nation last year with 60 running plays of 10-plus yards. It was a little better for 20-plus rushes with 19 and ranking No. 50, but you don't want to know about 30-plus rushing plays (OK, Iowa tied for 93rd with just five).

Daniels and Canzeri have done the work to push these numbers forward. How will it work? That remains to be seen.

'We'll see how it all pans out, but LeShun will start the game,' Ferentz said. 'But Jordan has done a great job. I think you almost have to talk about the two on the same line because that's how I see them. They're different types of backs, but they both have had a good year.

'. . . But we'll just kind of play it by ear, see how it goes. I don't know if we'll go with the hot hand guy, maybe use Jordan a little bit more on third down. I think we have a nice opportunity to mix it up a little bit.'

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