Iowa Hawkeyes HC Reveals Major Praise for Star RB

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz did not hold back his praise about star running back Kaleb Johnson.

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs for a 17 yard touchdown run during the second quarter against the Washington Huskies at Kinnick Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to lose star running back Kaleb Johnson to the 2025 NFL Draft. While losing him is sad to see, fans will continue rooting him on at the next level the same way they have rooted him on in an Iowa uniform.

Johnson is one of the best running backs to ever play for the Hawkeyes. He may not be "the" best, but he's one of the greats. His presence is going to be missed badly in 2025.

Unfortunately, Iowa will not get to see him play one final game in their bowl matchup against the Missouri Tigers. Johnson has announced that he is leaving for the draft and will sit out the bowl game.

No one can blame him for sitting out and avoiding a chance of getting hurt.

With that being said, head coach Kirk Ferentz has spoken out with bold praise about Johnson. He praised the commitment that Johnson has had to the team and program.

“I want to really compliment Kaleb in the way that he’s done things,” Ferentz said. “Because, I don’t mind telling you, if somewhere in the last month he had walked in and said he’s done, I would’ve been really disappointed and I would’ve felt bad for him because it would’ve been a terrible decision. But at the same time, I would’ve understood because of the world we’re living in.”

Ferentz also said his goodbyes to Johnson as he heads off to his NFL future.

“I think he’s handling it really well. He’s done a good job with his teammates. And to me, 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, and did it really in a good way,” Ferentz added. “I’m not going to pass judgment on him playing or not playing. 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.”

Now that his career has officially come to an end with the Hawkeyes, Johnson will finish with 508 carries for 2,779 yards and 30 touchdowns in his college career. He also chipped in 29 receptions for 240 yards and two more touchdowns.

Those numbers will make it a sure thing that Iowa fans will not forget him anytime soon.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see where Johnson ends up landing in the NFL Draft.

Hopefully, it's with a team where he will get to play early and start showcasing the special talent that Hawkeyes fans have been seeing over the past three seasons.