Kaleb Johnson

Former running back at Iowa. 2024: 1,537 rushing yards, 21 rushing TD, 22 catches.

RB · Iowa · Jr. · #2

6′0″ · 225 lb · Hamilton, OH

CFB Index 90 · #5 of 310 RBsHigh confidenceConsensus AAPittsburgh — drafted 2025, Rd 3, Pick 19, #83 overall

Recruiting

4★

ATH recruit

No. 354 nationally · Signed with Iowa

Statement game21 car · 206 yds · 3 TDat Minnesota (FBS) · W 31-14

Top 1% rushing yards game since 2021.

Kirk should be paying Kaleb Johnson's NIL out of pocket.r/CFB game thread · ▲ 3His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former running back at Iowa. 2024: 1,537 rushing yards, 21 rushing TD, 22 catches.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Iowa in 2021.
Drafted round 3 by the Pittsburgh in 2025.
Named All-America (WCFF) in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Three seasons at Iowa, 2,779 rushing yards, a Consensus All-American season (2024) — drafted at #83 overall by Pittsburgh.

His career

He was winning awards before he was old enough to be a story.

The week the volume broke through — stacked 1 td vs Washington.Washington · W 40-162024

2021

Signed with Iowa4-star out of Bellevue West

202213 games

Signed with Iowa3-star out of Hamilton

202412 games

All-Big Tenfirst
All-America5 selectors
Big Ten Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Yearwinner

2025

Drafted by Pittsburghround 3, pick 83

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#354 national

CFB

College

Iowa

2022–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #83

Pittsburgh · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

11 honors · 3 categories

🏆

ALL-AMERICA · CONSENSUS

Consensus AA (2024)

4 first-team selectors

🥈

ALL-BIG TEN · 1ST TEAM

All-Big Ten 1st team (2024)

🎓

FRESHMAN HONORS

Freshman recognition (2022)

1 mention(s)

Coaching lineage · 2022–2024

1 coach

2022–2024

Kirk Ferentz

Iowa

Played his entire career under Kirk Ferentz.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

PittsburghEntering 2nd NFL season

#83Rd 3 · Pick 19

PittsburghEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

3 seasons under Kirk Ferentz — 26-14 over that span.

2022Iowa8-5HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Iowa10-4HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2024Iowa8-5HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-heavy, slow tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

90All-America level #5 of 310?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (92nd percentile). Strength: explosive rate (90th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#37 / 442 · 92nd pct

8.9%

Explosive rate#44 / 442 · 90th pct

11.8%

Yards / carry#64 / 442 · 86th pct

6.4

EPA / carry#165 / 442 · 63rd pct

0.22

Success rate#190 / 442 · 57th pct

46.4%

Box-score rates (7)

Rush TDs#5 / 335 · 99th pct

Rush yards#6 / 335 · 98th pct

1537

Carries#10 / 335 · 97th pct

240

Yards / carry#25 / 335 · 92nd pct

6.4

Long run#27 / 335 · 90th pct

Rec yards#59 / 330 · 82nd pct

188

Receptions#57 / 330 · 82nd pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / carry

2nd → 63rd percentile

Success rate

1st → 57th percentile

Explosive rate

25th → 90th percentile

Yards / carry

8th → 86th percentile

TD rate

25th → 92nd percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)

Yardage DNA

237 carries

22%

Stuffed (≤0)

33%

Grind (1–3)

27%

Chunk (4–9)

18%

Explosive (10+)

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Home7g	133	7.0	2.0
Road5g	121	6.0	1.4

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	YPC	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	156	8.1	2.0
Weeks 8+6g	100	5.1	1.5

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Kirk Ferentz

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Consensus All-American

First team on a majority of the recognized selector lists.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

90 · #5 of 310 RBs

Former four-star. Now #5 at the position.

Selector Grid · 2024

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN—

SI—

Named Consensus All-American — recognized on 3+ of the 5 NCAA-recognized selector lists.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Iowa	240	1,537	6.4	21	--
2023	Iowa	117	463	4.0	3	--
2022	Iowa	151	779	5.2	6	--
Career		508	2,779	5.5	30	--

Season	Team
2024	Iowa	22	188	8.5	2	--
2023	Iowa	3	25	8.3	0	--
2022	Iowa	4	27	6.8	0	--
Career		29	240	8.3	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2024

W 31–14

at Minnesota

206 rush yds (21 car) · 3 TD

With R. Dakin — 49 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 55 LONG · D. Stevens — 46 LONG · 100 PCT · 7 PTS

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 14 · Nebraska · 2&13 · Q4 · EPA +6.85Jackson Stratton pass complete to Kaleb Johnson for 72 yds for a TD (Drew Stevens KICK)
Week 8 · Michigan State · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +6.08Kaleb Johnson run for 75 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 1 · Illinois State · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA +5.82Kaleb Johnson run for 64 yds for a TD (Drew Stevens KICK)
Week 3 · Troy · 4&1 · Q1 · EPA -3.83Kaleb Johnson run for a loss of 1 yard to the TROY 17
Week 7 · Washington · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.67Kaleb Johnson run for 53 yds to the WASH 28 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Iowa State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.63Kaleb Johnson run for 54 yds to the ISU 25 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Minnesota · 3&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.47Kaleb Johnson run for 24 yds to the MINN 30 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Iowa State · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +3.43Kaleb Johnson run for 37 yds to the ISU 40 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Troy · 3&1 · Q4 · EPA +3.30Kaleb Johnson run for 33 yds for a TD (Drew Stevens KICK)
Week 9 · Northwestern · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.24Kaleb Johnson 41 Yd Run (Drew Stevens Kick)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 40-0vs Illinois State	11	119	10.8	2	64
Wk 2	L 19-20vs Iowa State	25	187	7.5	2	54	187-yard day
Wk 3	W 38-21vs Troy	25	173	6.9	2	39	173-yard day
Wk 4	W 31-14@ Minnesota	21	206	9.8	3	40	Season-high 206 yds
Wk 6	L 7-35@ Ohio State	15	86	5.7	1	28
Wk 7	W 40-16vs Washington	21	166	7.9	2	53	166-yard day
Wk 8	L 20-32@ Michigan State	14	98	7.0	1	75
Wk 9	W 40-14vs Northwestern	14	109	7.8	3	41	3 rushing TDs
Wk 10	W 42-10vs Wisconsin	24	135	5.6	3	16	3 rushing TDs
Wk 11	L 17-20@ UCLA	18	49	2.7	1	15
Wk 13	W 29-13@ Maryland	35	164	4.7	1	13	164-yard day
Wk 14	W 13-10vs Nebraska	17	45	2.6	0	25
Total		240	1537	6.6	21	75

How he plays

Play style

Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.

CFB Index positional classification

Boom vs consistent · carry-yardage shape

Steady, not spectacular

~ our read

237Carries

1526Yards

18.8%Top-5 share

21.5%Stuffed rate

Just 18.8% of his season rushing yards came on his 5 best carries — remarkably even — and he's stuffed on 21.5% of his carries. 17 carries for 45 yds vs Nebraska; 21 for 206 vs Minnesota.

Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share

Not actually a closer

checked · no story

50.3%Carry share

28.6%Q4-lead share

76.7%In competitive games

50.3% of carries overall (237/471) → 28.6% of Q4-with-lead carries (30/105) — 76.7% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.

Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration

Who gets the tough yard

fact

11/143rd/4th & short

15/28Inside-5 share