Insights into the development of star running back Kaleb Johnson

IOWA CITY – In the final stages of her life, Charlene Strader thought of Kaleb Johnson.

Strader's health had been declining for some time, and it was at this moment in 2017 that she sent a message to her then-husband Jeffery Strader.

This was a psychologically trying time for Johnson. When he was about 14 years old, Johnson's grandmother, who had a huge influence on his childhood, died. In the midst of this grief, Jeffery Strader withdrew Johnson from organized sports to focus on his studies and make sure he didn't go down the wrong path.

If you're looking for turning points in Johnson's life – the roots that made him such a successful running back for Iowa – this was one of them. Perhaps the most important.

Three weeks into the college football season, Johnson is the leading runner in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 479 yards. The junior ranks fourth with six rushing touchdowns. That stat becomes even more impressive when you consider that he didn't play at all in the first half of the season opener against Illinois State.

If he stays on that course — no easy task given how much time remains in the season — Johnson is a threat to the team's single-season record of 1,850 rushing yards set by Shonn Greene, who won the 2008 Doak Walker Award. That would place Johnson among the best running backs in Iowa history.

But getting to this point hasn't been a direct path. Not in Iowa, where his sophomore season was disappointing. And certainly not before, when he had to deal with the pain of losing his grandmother, who had her grandson's best interests at heart during the final stages of her life.

“Her last words to me and stuff were to make sure Kaleb was taken care of,” Jeffery Strader said. “It was one of those things I knew I was going to do anyway. And it was just one of those life happens stories.”

Welcome to football

When Johnson started playing organized football, there were hugs at school.

As a young boy, Johnson, as Jeffery Strader put it, “enjoyed people.” So much so that he would express himself at school by hugging people. This led to complaints that reached his family.

One day they were out and about when Johnson saw a poster of a person playing football. “I want to do that too,” he said to Strader. And Strader replied that Johnson could do that as long as he took care of his schoolwork.

This paved the way for Johnson’s football career.

Johnson was initially placed on the defensive line – an interesting tactic considering he was younger and smaller than the others on the field. During one game, Johnson was tackled hard. Over and over, he would strike a stance, stand up, and be thrown to the ground. The back of Johnson's jersey was covered in mud. The front was clean.

But after the game, Strader could see through his helmet how Johnson's eyes lit up. Johnson sprinted over.

“He said, 'Daddy, Daddy, look how dirty I am in the back,'” Strader recalled.

Johnson was apparently having the time of his life.

“I thought I was happy to get dirty,” Johnson said recently.

It wasn't long before Johnson became a running back. Strader tried to teach Johnson the physicality of the game. In the backyard, Johnson, in full gear, tried to get past Strader, who taped a pad to his forearm to slow him down. This frustrated Johnson, but eventually he understood that he was faster and began to use the strategy to his advantage.

Strader played an important role in Johnson's upbringing. Johnson's mother, Juanielle Finley, gave birth to Johnson when she was 17. Strader played the role of a positive male influence in the absence of Johnson's biological father. “He's pretty darn close to my dad,” Johnson said of Strader.

Juanielle Finley added: “My mom was one of his biggest fans when he was younger, playing sports and stuff. She was always one of his biggest supporters.”

Change and perspective

Ladell Betts had just gotten the job as Iowa football's running backs coach for 2021 when he met with the program's recruiting department. There were a handful of running backs in their system. Betts sat down and watched a ton of footage and picked out a few from the group that he liked.

Johnson of Hamilton High School in Ohio was among them.

“His running style and his high school tape,” Betts said. “I was immediately taken with him.”

But in order to improve his chances of studying, he had to deal with inner conflicts.

Strader did not go into detail about his then-wife's health problems. But he did reveal that she suffered psychologically. Once she got into a car even though she knew she couldn't drive and was hit from the side. She then went to the hospital and stayed there.

“(Johnson) actually didn't want to visit her because he didn't want to see her in the hospital like that,” Strader said.

Strader himself managed the situation. He walked to the hospital and the grocery store because his car was no longer working. He got a ride from his workplace.

A few months after the car accident, Charlene Strader died.

Around this time, Jeffery Strader retired Johnson from organized sports to make sure he was in the right place mentally and academically. Johnson continued to train, but in a more individual setting.

Around the time his grandmother died and he retired from organized sports, those around Johnson noticed a change. The relationship between Strader and Johnson became closer.

“He understood what I meant, and he started to see everything,” Strader said. “That I wasn't there to take away his fame. But I was there to help him. That's when he really started to understand what was really going on. And why I started doing what I was doing.”

Johnson's mother, Juanielle Finley, said: “After my mother died, his whole demeanor changed. And he really does this for us, the family, because we know he can do it. He has the skills and abilities.”

Johnson returned to organized football. He became a star in Hamilton. He was initially committed to California. Then he decided to play for Iowa. This rise to fame was fueled by his family.

“I really wanted to do it for her,” Johnson said of his grandmother. “Because I knew she would be proud of me. It just feels like I always have that in the back of my mind and always think about the results I can get – if I just keep doing what I need to do.”

'Home Alone'

It didn't take long for Betts' promise to bear fruit at Iowa. In his first season with the Hawkeyes, Johnson set a new school single-season freshman record with 779 rushing yards.

But the high expectations at the start of his sophomore season were not met. Johnson missed three games due to injury. After returning, he only rushed for more than 60 yards once the rest of the season. Although he was available, he did not record a single touchdown in Iowa's win over Northwestern. His 463 rushing yards this season were far from his expectations.

“Staying positive and always having faith in myself,” Johnson said, reflecting on last season. “That really hurt me. But at the same time, it taught me a lesson not to take things for granted and to always be grateful for what you do.”

Three games into his junior season, Johnson looked every bit the running back many expected him to be. Maybe even better. After Iowa's win over Troy, his third straight game with over 100 yards and two touchdowns, Johnson showed some of his personality when he talked about his high school days.

“My line was terrible,” Johnson joked. “I was bigger than most of my O-lines.”

It's easy to see Johnson through that lens. The happy kid who always hugged everyone at school and who — somehow — didn't let being destroyed on the defensive line early in his career stop him from playing football. Now 6-foot-4 and muscular, Johnson has a smile that could light up a room. Quarterback Cade McNamara said of his teammate, “He's just a fun guy to be around.”

“When I'm in the locker room with my guys, they know I'm silly and funny,” Johnson said.

But that does not apply to Johnson as a whole.

In other environments, Johnson considers himself to be more reserved. He himself admits that he is a thinker. About his future and his family. Even as a child, Johnson manifested his goals by writing them down. Within the walls of his lively outer shell, it is clear that he has become very aware of the dimensions of life.

Recently, Johnson sat at the Iowa football team's practice facility and talked about Kevin McCallister. Yes, the Kevin McCallister from the cult film series “Home Alone.” Johnson sees a deeper symbolism in McCallister that goes beyond a merely fictional character.

“At the end of the day, you're alone,” Johnson said. “Always. No matter what happens. You're always alone.”

Johnson's complexity and perspective – a byproduct of what it took for him to get here – have produced a great product on the field for Iowa this season.

“In life, as a human being, you sometimes have to get through dark times so that the good times come,” said Strader. “And that's just a part of life. It's not just him.”

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15Contact via email at [email protected]

Insights into the development of star running back Kaleb Johnson

ByVanessa

Welcome to football

Change and perspective

'Home Alone'

By Vanessa

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