Iowa Running Back, Ohio Native Kaleb Johnson Says He Wouldn’t Have Gone To Ohio State

Ohio State’s decision to not send an offer to current Iowa starting running back Kaleb Johnson was just fine with him back in the days of his high school recruitment.

Johnson, an Ohio native, who was a three-star running back in the 2022 class, would likely have been a prime candidate to not just receive an offer from Ohio State but accept one. The only problem or problems were that Ohio State never extended Johnson an offer, and he wouldn’t have accepted one anyway.

“Even if they offered me, I wouldn’t have went,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “I want to beat them. That’s my goal.”

Hailing from Hamilton, Ohio, and being ranked as the 435th player in the country, he held Power Four offers from California, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Johnson initially committed to California before flipping his commitment to Iowa, and he clearly made the right decision.

Johnson immediately broke out as a viable option out of the Hawkeyes’ backfield during his freshman season, where he gained 779 yards and scored six touchdowns. Johnson took more of a back seat as a sophomore before emerging as one of the best running backs in the country this season. Through four games, Johnson has run for 685 yards, good enough for an average of 171.3 per game; both numbers are second only to Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

Johnson will have the tall task of fulfilling his wish to beat Ohio State when Iowa comes to Ohio Stadium this Saturday at 3:30 p.m.