Ohio native Kaleb Johnson was California-bound until his prep coach took him to Iowa

You could call Saturday’s game at Ohio State a homecoming for Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, but it really isn’t.

Yes, Johnson is from Hamilton, Ohio. But that’s about 100 miles from Columbus, and the Buckeyes never extended a scholarship offer to Johnson. Today, he is second in the nation in rushing with 685 yards and nine touchdowns in four games.

Look, Ohio State can’t offer schollies to every talented prep in Ohio. The state has almost 12 million people and the Buckeyes can cherry-pick the best of the best from there, and elsewhere.

Johnson wasn’t a big secret to college coaches. Michigan and Michigan State were among the many schools that pursued the 3-star recruit. He was all-state as a senior, and one recruiting service called him the No. 18 prospect in Ohio.

They sure remember Johnson in Hamilton, 21 miles from Cincinnati.

“It’s been super-rewarding to see him grow,” said Nate Mahon, who coached Hamilton High to state playoff berths in 2020 and 2021 with Johnson helping lead the way.

“I think he continues to become a better football player, which is fun to see. We didn’t have the strongest and best offensive line in front of him here, but it seems to be a perfect fit out there in Iowa, for sure.”

Iowa fans may want to buy Mahon a beverage the next time he comes to Iowa City to watch Johnson play. More than anyone, it was Mahon who was responsible for Johnson switching to Iowa after he had verbally committed to play for California.

“It was June going into his senior year,” Mahon said, “and he had just taken a visit to Berkeley and he had called me later in the evening. He was super-excited and wanted to commit to Cal, and he did, so that kind of slowed down his recruiting.”

Mahon had other thoughts. He knew current Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett because Barnett coached at Miami (Ohio) from 2014 to 2020. Mahon was a football letterman at Miami in 2007. Miami’s campus is just 14 miles from Hamilton.

“We had similar paths,” Mahon said. “I had coached at the University of Indianapolis and George had coached at the University of Indianapolis before he went to Miami.

“When George went to Iowa (in 2021), he asked about Kaleb. He had already committed to Cal. I just thought he should look at Iowa with the running offense Iowa has with Coach (Kirk) Ferentz, and there’s no better mentor out there than Coach Ferentz.

“And then having the trust I have with George Barnett, I said to Kaleb ‘Let’s just go out on a visit. I know you’re committed to Cal, but I think this is a visit you need to take.’

“KJ, his grandfather, and my family all went to Iowa to watch them beat Penn State that year.”

The following Monday, Johnson committed to Iowa.

“And the rest is history,” Mahon said.

Johnson could have piled up superstar stats at Hamilton, but he split carries with Keyshawn Stephens, who also had a brilliant prep career. Stephens was a first-team all-state running back in 2020. He had 293 rushing yards in a game as a sophomore.

“To have both of them was pretty awesome,” Mahon said. “I think that year we had one of the best records in the history of the school. To have both of those guys in the backfield, it was pretty special.

“But yeah, because of that Kaleb probably didn’t have as many carries as if it was just him. So I would say he was a little bit under the radar because of that.”

Mahon is out of coaching now, except for leading a fifth-grade team that includes one of his two sons. That team has a game Saturday, so he won’t make it to Columbus to see Johnson face the third-ranked Buckeyes.

He does, however, plan to go to Iowa City a third-straight year to see his guy play for the Hawkeyes, probably for the Oct. 26 game against Northwestern.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like to watch a game at Ohio State,” Mahon said, “but I’m pretty biased to watching a game in Iowa City. I think we’ve become big-time fans.”

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