Kaleb Johnson (running back)
| Iowa Hawkeyes – No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class | Junior |
| Major | Enterprise Leadership |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 14, 2003 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Hamilton (Hamilton, Ohio) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Kaleb Johnson (born August 14, 2003) is an American college football running back for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Early life
[edit]Johnson attended Hamilton High School located in Hamilton, Ohio. Coming out of high school, Johnson was rated as a three-star recruit and the 36th overall running back in the class of 2022, where he also held offers from schools such as California, Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Kentucky, Minnesota, Iowa, West Virginia, Ball State, Kent State, Liberty, Marshall, Miami University, Toledo, Western Michigan, and Eastern Kentucky.[1][2] Initially, Johnson committed to play college football for the California Golden Bears.[3][4] However, Johnson decided to flip his commitment to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes.[5][6]
College career
[edit]In Johnson's first two seasons in 2022 and 2023, he rushed 268 times for 1,242 yards and nine touchdowns, while also hauling in seven receptions for 52 yards.[7][8][9] In week one of the 2024 season, Johnson rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries despite being suspended for the first half of the game, helping the Hawkeyes to a win over Illinois State.[10]
Through week 14 of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Johnson was fourth in the FBS in rushing yards (1,537) and scoring (23 touchdowns, 138 points), and fifth in rushing touchdowns (21) despite not playing the first half of the season opener.[11][12] After the conclusion of the regular season, Johnson was named First-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Running Back of the Year, and a Consensus First-team All-American. He was also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.[13]
Statistics
[edit]Iowa Hawkeyes
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Rushing | Receiving | Kick Return | Speed | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | Att | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Ret | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Top Speed | 40 Time | |||||
| 2022 | 13 | 151 | 779 | 5.2 | 75T | 6 | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 325 | 25.0 | 42 | 0 | 21.5 | 4.38 | ||||
| 2023 | 10 | 117 | 463 | 4.0 | 67T | 3 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 38.5 | 54 | 0 | 22.1 | 4.35 | ||||
| 2024 | 12 | 240 | 1,537 | 6.4 | 75T | 21 | 22 | 188 | 8.5 | 72T | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | – | 0 | 22.7 | 4.31 | ||||
| Career | 35 | 508 | 2,779 | 5.5 | 75T | 30 | 29 | 240 | 8.3 | 72T | 2 | 15 | 402 | 26.8 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ Springer, Scott (October 13, 2021). "Hamilton High running back flips from California football to Iowa Hawkeyes". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Springer, Scott (December 15, 2021). "Signing Day: What does Hamilton running back Kaleb Johnson bring to Iowa football?". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Dyer, Mike (June 21, 2021). "Hamilton senior running back Kaleb Johnson verbally commits to the University of California Berkeley". WCPO.com. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Curtis, Jake (June 21, 2021). "Ohio RB Kaleb Johnson Commits to Cal for 2022". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Dochterman, Scott (November 8, 2022). "Iowa's Kaleb Johnson enjoying featured role: 'I don't feel like a freshman'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Bohenkamp, John (October 20, 2021). "Cal Commit RB Kaleb Johnson Flips to Iowa". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Schultz, Brad (August 31, 2024). "Iowa football running back Kaleb Johnson motivated from first half suspension, delivers with two scores". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Bohenkamp, John (October 7, 2023). "Kaleb Johnson, Defense Spark Hawkeyes". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Dochterman, Scott (August 14, 2023). "Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson 'was touched by God' with physicality: How high is his ceiling?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Clark, Dave (September 1, 2024). "Kaleb Johnson, Iowa RB from Hamilton, rushes for 119 yards, two TDs in one half". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "All Conferences Player Rushing Stats 2024". ESPN. November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
- ^ "Iowa running backs Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson suspended for first half". USA Today. August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "Johnson Named Doak Walker Finalist". University of Iowa Athletics. November 26, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.