How Iowa star Kaleb Johnson ended his Hawkeye career is ‘really admirable,’ Kirk Ferentz says

IOWA CITY — As Iowa star running back Kaleb Johnson turns his attention toward next year’s NFL draft, he will not be delivering any more broken tackles or big plays in Nashville.

He won’t have a shot at breaking the program’s single-season record for rushing yards. He won’t have a chance to extend his streak of 12 consecutive games with at least one touchdown either.

But what Johnson clearly does have is Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz’s appreciation for how he concluded the Hawkeye chapter of his football career.

“If you’re not going to finish it out — which in this case, he’s not — he did it in a way that really, I think, is really admirable,” Ferentz said on Sunday, referencing Johnson’s plans to not play in the Music City Bowl.

Johnson had a remarkable junior season, rushing for 1,537 yards — the third-most in Iowa history — and a program-record 21 rushing touchdowns. The 2024 Big Ten Running Back of the Year, Johnson also was third on the team in receptions and receiving yards and tied for second with two receiving touchdowns.

“You don’t have to be a football expert if you’re paying attention to us at all this year to figure out somewhere probably in October, ‘Hey, this guy is maybe a cut above,’” Ferentz said. “He’s really just done a great job this year. This has been a year for him to blossom as a player.”

Simply the fact that Johnson continued battling in the backfield as his NFL draft stock continued to burgeon — ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks him as the third-best running back in the 2025 draft class — is not lost upon Iowa’s 26th-year head coach.

“If somewhere in the last month, he had walked in and said he’s done, I would have been really disappointed,” Ferentz said. “And I would have felt bad for him because it would have been a terrible decision. But at the same time, I would have understood because of the world we’re living in.”

As Ferentz heaped praise on Johnson’s commitment through all 12 regular-season games, he also noted that “every case is a little bit different.”

“These are really tough times for student-athletes to be navigating things right now,” Ferentz said on Sunday. “The people on the outside are really, really aggressive, and I don’t know what we do to stop that.”

Most notably, Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris did not play in Iowa’s last two games. A team spokesman said last month Harris’ absence was a “medical issue.” The next day, Ferentz indicated it was Harris’ own decision to not play against Maryland, as the sixth-year cornerback “didn't think he could go.”

As for Johnson’s decision to opt out of the Hawkeyes’ trip to the Music City Bowl, it is hardly a surprise at a position where opt-outs are especially common. Florida State’s Trey Benson and USC’s MarShawn Lloyd were among the many running backs drafted last year who did not participate in their postseason bowl games.

Opt-outs have been relatively rare at Iowa, but fellow running back Tyler Goodson in 2021 and safety Kaevon Merriweather in 2022 have been examples of Iowa players reaching the NFL after opting out of the bowl game.

“I’m not going to pass judgment on him playing or not playing,” Ferentz said. “I appreciate what he’s done, and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. He’ll do a good job. He’s really grown up a lot.”

While he will not be on the field at Nissan Stadium, his contributions in the season finale against Nebraska can perhaps get partial credit for Iowa getting to play in mild-weathered Nashville, unlike the 6-6 Huskers’ upcoming trip to the chillier Pinstripe Bowl in New York.

“I’m not saying he won the game for us last Friday night, but he was a huge component,” Ferentz said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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