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Iowa assistant Ladell Betts hired by New York Giants as RBs coach

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•02/24/25•

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Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts will head to the NFL and become the New York Giants RBs coach, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Betts, a former running back for the then-Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints from 2002-10, spent the last four seasons at Iowa. The Hawkeyes were the first and only Division 1 college job for Betts after spending time as a high school coach from 2013-20, following his playing career.

Now, he’ll head back to the pros but on the sideline this time. At least he’s in the familiar NFC East!

Betts, an Iowa alum, was a second-round pick in 2002 by the Redskins. While with the Hawkeyes, he ran for 3,682 yards, 25 touchdowns, 4.4 yards per carry, had 71 catches, 692 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

Betts played eight seasons in the NFL after being named Second-Team All-Big Ten twice while at Iowa. Over the course of his NFL career, he ran 821 times for 3,326 yards, 15 touchdowns, had 188 catches, 1,646 yards and three touchdown receptions.

During Betts’ final season after a productive career with Washington, he suffered a concussion in Week 11 of the 2010 season with the Saints. He was placed on injured reserve and did not play again.

Three years later, he began his coaching career, which blossomed into what it is today. He’ll join Brian Daboll’s staff after the Giants retained the head coach, following a 3-14 season.

Despite back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance, the Giants decided to keep the same regime and attempt to fix things going into 2025. Not wasting any time, the organization released a statement after their decision.

“Now that our season is over, we felt it necessary to make this statement,” Giants owner John Mara said. “Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll will continue in their respective roles with the organization. As disappointing as the results of the season have been, Steve (Tisch) and I remain confident in the process that Joe and Brian have implemented and their vision for our team. We look forward to the future and achieving the results we all desire.”