There are positive vibes coming out of Iowa City concerning the status of running back Jewel Hampton, the Cedar Rapids Gazette is reporting.
Hampton, who is being counted on to replace Shonn Greene in Iowa’s running game, suffered an injury to his knee earlier this month during a voluntary workout. It was initially feared he could miss the season, but further testing revealed he may miss the season opener at most.
Now, even that latter notion could be a pessimistic one.
“We’re hopeful, we’re optimistically hopeful,” head coach Kirk Ferentz told the paper. “He injured his knee. All signs have been very, very positive since that time.
“We’ll certainly know more when we hit the practice field, maybe sooner. But I think right now everything’s been very positive. We’re optimistic that we’re going to be there.”
Hampton rushed for over 400 yards last season as a true freshman, and is Iowa’s leading returning rusher following Greene’s early departure for the NFL.