Running back Henry Geil will transfer from Hawkeyes

Henry Geil, a redshirt freshman running back, announced Wednesday he is transferring from the Iowa Hawkeyes' football team.

A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Geil rushed 15 times for 37 yards in two games last season.

He confirmed the news to the Register in a text message. It was first reported by 247 Sports.

Geil originally chose Iowa over Iowa State, Indiana and Michigan State. He told the Register in May 2018 that the fact the Hawkeyes were thin at running back was a factor in his decision.

“I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think about it every day,” Geil said then. “The dog in me is like, ‘I’m going to take what’s mine.’ It’s kind of a weird battle. You don’t want to be too overbearing. You’ve got to figure out how to keep it low-key and not say much. But at the same time, I think everybody mutually knows we’re going to be trying to get on the field. That’s the ultimate goal."

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Iowa then signed junior-college transfer Mekhi Sargent, who played alongside Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin has part of a three-person job-share at tailback. Those three juniors are still ahead of Geil. Incoming freshmen Shadrick Byrd and Tyler Goodson have quickly worked their way into Iowa's plans. Geil wasn't even on Iowa's summer training camp roster.

In May, Iowa running backs coach Derrick Foster said on the "Hawk Central" radio hour that Geil and fellow redshirt freshman running back Samson Evans had some proving to do.

“We need to see more,” Foster said then. “One day, everything looks good, and one day everything looks shaky."

And now, Geil is gone.

He is the second Iowa player to transfer in recent weeks. Linebacker Jayden McDonald left the Hawkeyes to play at Troy.

Mark Emmert covers the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Register. Reach him at memmert@registermedia.com or 319-339-7367. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkEmmert.

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