Akrum Wadley
refer to caption
Wadley with the Tennessee Titans in 2018
No. 38, 27
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-13) March 13, 1995 (age 29)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Newark (NJ) Weequahic
College:Iowa
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Akrum Wadley (born March 13, 1995) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He played college football at Iowa.

Early years

Akrum was born on March 13, 1995, in Newark, New Jersey to Sheronda Phelps and John Wadley. Akrum is one of five sons.[1] Wadley attended Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey.[2] He committed to the University of Iowa to play college football.[3]

College career

Wadley played at Iowa from 2014 to 2017.[4] In his final collegiate game, he was named the MVP of the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl after rushing for 88 yards with a touchdown.[5][6] During his career, he rushed for 2,872 yards over 536 carries with 28 touchdowns.[7] While at Iowa, Wadley was a communications major[8]

Statistics

NCAA career statistics
Iowa Hawkeyes
Season   Rushing Receiving
G Att Yards Avg Long TD Rec Yards Avg Long TD
2014 5 33 186 5.6 26 1 1 −1 −1.0 −1.0 0
2015 8 83 496 6.0 65 7 6 94 15.7 31 1
2016 13 168 1,081 6.4 75 10 36 315 8.8 30 3
2017 13 252 1,109 4.4 35 10 28 353 12.6 70 3
NCAA Totals 39 536 2,872 5.4 75 28 71 761 10.7 70 7

[9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Bench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		194 lb
(88 kg) 		29+1⁄2 in
(0.75 m) 		8+1⁄4 in
(0.21 m)		 4.54 s 1.56 s 2.64 s 4.39 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 12 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11]

Tennessee Titans

Wadley signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2018.[12] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[13]

Atlanta Legends

In 2019, he signed with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on March 6, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019.[15]

Houston Roughnecks

In October 2019, Wadley was picked by the Houston Roughnecks during the 2020 XFL Draft.[16] He was waived on January 5, 2020.[17]

Personal life

In a report published on June 29, 2020, Wadley made allegations against Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, and former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle. The allegations included mistreatment and racial disparities.[18][19] A lawsuit ensued, where Wadley was a plaintiff.[20] The suit ultimately settled out of court in 2023.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Akrum Wadley". hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Stanmyre, Matthew (September 14, 2017). "College football star learned all from leading lady". NJ.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  3. ^ Akrum Wadley of Weequahic signs with Iowa on National Signing Day
  4. ^ Leistikow, Chad (December 22, 2017). "Akrum Wadley: From the 'doghouse' to an elite Iowa football running back". Hawk Central. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Fornelli, Tom (December 28, 2017). "Pinstripe Bowl score: Akrum Wadley leads Iowa to victory over Boston College". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "Pinstripe Bowl notes: Akrum Wadley caps Iowa career with memorable homecoming". The Gazette. December 27, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Batterson, Steve (April 1, 2018). "Iowa's Wadley hoping for NFL call". Dispatch Argus. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  8. ^ "Akrum Wadley". hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Akrum Wadley". Sports Reference LLC. USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Akrum Wadley Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  11. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Akrum Wadley College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Jim (May 11, 2018). "Titans Reach Deals with 22 Undrafted Free Agents". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018.
  13. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 1, 2018). "Roster Moves: Titans Trim Roster From 90 to 53 Players". TitansOnline.com.
  14. ^ O'Brien, Mike (January 29, 2019). "Former college stars find home in the AAF". KCRG-TV. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  15. ^ Rothstein, Michael; Wickersham, Seth (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Talbot, Damond (October 16, 2019). "XFL Draft Phase 5: The Final Rounds of the Draft, Find out who was selected". NFL Draft Diamonds. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  17. ^ "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "Wadley: 'I Wish I Never Played' At Iowa". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "Former Iowa RB Akrum Wadley alleges mistreatment within program, says he regrets playing for Hawkeyes". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Ex-football players sue Iowa, alleging racial discrimination". AP News. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Dochterman, Scott. "Iowa finalizes settlement in racial discrimination case". The Athletic. Retrieved November 17, 2023.

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