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I truly think we have one of the best Iowa RB’s in a long long time

JerseyCityHawki

HR All-American
Oct 28, 2019
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I hate beating the dead horse here but Kaleb Johnson is the real deal… and the other freshman (Patterson) is no slouch behind him. You just can’t teach the instincts this kid has… he runs straight up and is just a big back at what… 230 pounds or close)? If we can get this offensive line to mesh and start opening up some holes like he had on the second 55 yard TD run it’s going to be hard to stop this kid.. I can’t imagine next year how he will look and play after a year under his belt. He already has the look of a upperclassman with his physique-

Someone pointed out he runs like Henry and others Dickerson … he’s definitely a 6’2 back and Iowa doesn’t seem to land big backs like him too much. What I love about him as he glides after getting loose and can run over or around you… competition will obviously start to ramp up starting this weekend vs Rutgers (and I get to see him play on the road in my own backyard) can’t f’ing wait…

What I truly hope for him is to keep his grades up as (I think) he was a decent student in HS… and he stays healthy and humble - and the most important thing is I hope he gets his degree from the University of Iowa regardless… he has all the tools to make it to the next level that’s for sure (in my mind at least) Let’s hope he has 4 seasons like Shon Greene did his final year at Iowa… GO HAWKS!

I think SI has it right with his size

 
We haven't seen nearly enough of Kaleb Johnson to make a meaningful observation, although the early results are promising. But in the fairly recent past, Iowa has had Shonn Greene (2008 Doak Walker and Jim Brown award winner) and Akrum Wadley, two of the most effective and exciting RBs in Hawkeye history, but it would be nice if KJ's name eventually was included in that small group.
 
Very good day for him and he does just glide! Faster than he even looks while running because he is so smooth. With that said Gavin Williams and the Leshun Williams run so so hard they are going to be very very important for us moving forward!!
 
Listen...I think Leshon is ahead of Gavin right now from what I've seen. Kaleb gives you something that Goodson had...the ability to hit a seam and house it. There were a few runs that Gavin had Saturday, where I'm pretty sure if it had been K. Johnson getting that rep/run...it would have been a big gainer. The hole was there and Gavin danced or wasn't decisive.

The thing about K. Johnson is that you have to give him 12-15 touches. After carry 5-6 things will start to flow for him...things slow down. It's really hard what they did the first two games...2-3 carries.

Honestly...he should be your #1 option right now. No offense to the William's boys...but you need a homerun hitter on the field. I wouldn't say that right now if he was like Wadley or Goodson...and couldn't take some punishment as a freshman. KJ is 220 pounds and he runs hard and moves people in traffic. He had a few runs where he ran through contact and moved the pile. This guy is built to handle 20 carries right now.
 
Very good day for him and he does just glide! Faster than he even looks while running because he is so smooth. With that said Gavin Williams and the Leshun Williams run so so hard they are going to be very very important for us moving forward!!
And JP looked good, also.

Having all these guys in the RB room sure gives hope for the future, but I have major concerns about where this offense is headed as a group. It would be a real shame if we never get to see the full potential of any of these guys due to system-wide issues on that side of the ball. We can only hope.
 
Leshon brings his pads up too early and is hesitant hitting the right hole. Gavin is a step slow hitting the hole but otherwise a really solid back. Kaleb has nice pad level and and great form once he breaks free. He could be a real good one. I think once he learns the offense and gets more game experience we could see Gavin and Kaleb splitting carries by the end of the season.
 
True freshman RB leading the team in rushing is nice, and he's the only one that has broken a long run (has 2). It sure was nice to see him run over a couple of guys on his first TD.

He's 230 and runs like that? Pretty impressive.
 
Leshon brings his pads up too early and is hesitant hitting the right hole. Gavin is a step slow hitting the hole but otherwise a really solid back. Kaleb has nice pad level and and great form once he breaks free. He could be a real good one. I think once he learns the offense and gets more game experience we could see Gavin and Kaleb splitting carries by the end of the season.

It was Gavin’s first game back as the featured guy. I’ll refrain from a final grade for now. It didn’t hurt Kaleb that his two TD runs came on the two best blocked plays of the season.
 
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Leshon brings his pads up too early and is hesitant hitting the right hole. Gavin is a step slow hitting the hole but otherwise a really solid back. Kaleb has nice pad level and and great form once he breaks free. He could be a real good one. I think once he learns the offense and gets more game experience we could see Gavin and Kaleb splitting carries by the end of the season.
I think Gavin is still a little dinged up and that is why he might appear somewhat slow. Kaleb sure opened some eyes Saturday night and yes, I want to see him get more carries.
 
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We haven't seen nearly enough of Kaleb Johnson to make a meaningful observation, although the early results are promising. But in the fairly recent past, Iowa has had Shonn Greene (2008 Doak Walker and Jim Brown award winner) and Akrum Wadley, two of the most effective and exciting RBs in Hawkeye history, but it would be nice if KJ's name eventually was included in that small group.
Yes. Mikail McCall looked like the next great back in 2011 or whenever it was he shined against Tennessee Tech. injuries and quickly out the door. Greg Garmon got time very early in his career and was quickly gone.

Johnson has real ability. Let's see if he can keep doing it. It's obvious that the staff likes him a lot, they have him as primary KR and they had no issue giving him a prominent role against Nevada.

Iowa has had some good backs. Greene was the best over 1 season, but others in recent years too. Leshun Daniels went over 1,000 yards in 2016, Canzeri was a good back. Goodson had an all Big 10 season and 1,000 yards. Johnson has a nice combination of speed and power. Stay healthy and he's got a real good future.
 
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He's 6'0" and weighs 212 lbs....not 6'2 230 lbs. That said....I like what I see in speed and overall potential. Hope he continues to get some reps and improve....he seems to have a lot of potential.
 
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True freshman RB leading the team in rushing is nice, and he's the only one that has broken a long run (has 2). It sure was nice to see him run over a couple of guys on his first TD.

He's 230 and runs like that? Pretty impressive.
LOL! He's not 230. Try 212.
 
He's 230 and runs like that? Pretty impressive.
LOL! He's not 230. Try 212.
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I hate beating the dead horse here but Kaleb Johnson is the real deal… and the other freshman (Patterson) is no slouch behind him. You just can’t teach the instincts this kid has… he runs straight up and is just a big back at what… 230 pounds or close)? If we can get this offensive line to mesh and start opening up some holes like he had on the second 55 yard TD run it’s going to be hard to stop this kid.. I can’t imagine next year how he will look and play after a year under his belt. He already has the look of a upperclassman with his physique-

Someone pointed out he runs like Henry and others Dickerson … he’s definitely a 6’2 back and Iowa doesn’t seem to land big backs like him too much. What I love about him as he glides after getting loose and can run over or around you… competition will obviously start to ramp up starting this weekend vs Rutgers (and I get to see him play on the road in my own backyard) can’t f’ing wait…

What I truly hope for him is to keep his grades up as (I think) he was a decent student in HS… and he stays healthy and humble - and the most important thing is I hope he gets his degree from the University of Iowa regardless… he has all the tools to make it to the next level that’s for sure (in my mind at least) Let’s hope he has 4 seasons like Shon Greene did his final year at Iowa… GO HAWKS!

I think SI has it right with his size

I like him too but let’s keep in perspective the defense he faced Saturday night Is the worst defense he will face all year. Only ramps up from here.
 
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I think Gavin is still a little dinged up and that is why he might appear somewhat slow. Kaleb sure opened some eyes Saturday night and yes, I want to see him get more carries.
Good point. He just seemed to be gliding when running kind of like Vince Young when breaking the pocket. Big kid already as a freshman and has a bright future. Now if we can just get the Oline fixed!
 
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