Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson has decision to make following season full of game-changing plays

IOWA CITY — If Friday night ends up being Kaleb Johnson’s final game at Kinnick Stadium, it was quite the grand finale.

The Iowa star running back evaded nearly half of Nebraska’s defensive players on a 72-yard touchdown reception that turned the tide in Iowa’s come-from-behind 13-10 win over the rival Huskers.

“It would be a memory for sure,” Johnson said.

But Johnson still needs to decide whether that will be his lasting memory as a Hawkeye.

Johnson has one more year of eligibility, but he could potentially hear his name called in the early rounds of next year’s NFL Draft. Pro Football Focus rated Johnson as the 29th-best prospect in next year’s draft class, and his eye-popping 72-yard touchdown reception surely did not hurt his draft stock.

“I don’t even know my decision yet,” Johnson said shortly after Friday night’s game.

If Johnson goes pro, he then also will need to decide whether to play in Iowa’s postseason bowl game. (Iowa’s most likely destination is the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa although bowl announcements won’t be unveiled until next weekend.)

Johnson repeatedly said after Friday’s win that he will “probably” play in the bowl game.

“I just love my team,” Johnson said. “I love every one of them, especially Coach Ferentz and the staff.”

One would hardly blame Johnson if there’s a change of heart before the end of December. The current trend has been for top-tier running backs to opt out of their postseason bowl games (and avoid the additional injury risk that comes with playing in them), with Florida State’s Trey Benson and USC’s MarShawn Lloyd being among the many examples last year.

There were some exceptions, too, such as Michigan’s Blake Corum and Oregon’s Bucky Irving. But Iowa’s mid-tier bowl destination is not quite the same as Michigan’s quest for a national title or Oregon’s trip to the more prestigious Fiesta Bowl.

Johnson did not indicate what his timeline for a decision will be. The deadline for players from non-championship teams to declare for the draft is Jan. 6. He obviously will need to decide before that on whether to participate in the bowl game.

“Shoot, it came too fast,” Johnson said following a question about his timeline for a decision.

Johnson’s looming decision follows a remarkable regular season for the third-year player from Hamilton, Ohio. He racked up 1,537 rushing yards — the most for an Iowa running back since Shonn Greene’s special 2008 season — and has led the Big Ten with 128.1 rushing yards per game.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Johnson said. “I got too many thoughts right now. … I just love my team. I love every one of them, especially Coach Ferentz and the staff and everybody believing in me.”

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