Fifty-nine yards. 67 yards. 82 yards.
Iowa’s biggest football plays of the year have come from three running backs — redshirt freshman Jaziun Patterson, sophomore Kaleb Johnson, and senior Leshon Williams.
In an offense with few bright spots, this triple-threat rushing attack has shown its game-changing potential.
In each game this season where the Hawkeyes have rushed for at least 100 yards, they’ve finished in the win column.
But for these three players, it’s not about how many carries or yards they achieve individually per game.
Rather, it’s a joint effort for Johnson, Williams, and Patterson, who have built a strong relationship on and off the field as roommates.
Patterson and Johnson roomed in the dorms together in their first year and now live with Williams.
Johnson said he and Patterson would often go through formations and help each other understand the playbook while living in the dorms.
“I mean, there’s competition, obviously, but it’s nothing but brotherly love,” Williams said. “We’re all just trying to get better, and we all got the same goals at the end of the day.”
If one player is having a down day, the others are expected to pick up the slack. Patterson thinks he and his fellow backs have similar running styles but voiced that Johnson is the fastest of the three and has the ability to “get around guys.”
But Patterson believes one running back doesn’t have to get all the carries because the three athletes complement each other’s playing styles well.
“We could get me in there to run on a third-and-1 situation, get the first,” Patterson said. “Then we put Kaleb in there first and second down, then we put Leshon in there. We all run the ball hard, and I think that gives us an edge.”
Each athlete has had a unique journey to get to this point.
Feeling Jazzy
Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts discovered Patterson a few months before his senior season and offered him a scholarship.
Acey, the running back’s 43-year-old brother, said Patterson quickly connected with Betts. Acey said Betts acted as a “father trying to protect a son” rather than a coach who only cared about Patterson’s performance on the field.
Patterson committed to Iowa on Aug. 17, 2021. He chose the Hawkeyes over schools closer to his home in Pompano Beach, Florida, like Alabama, Auburn, and Miami.
Growing up as the youngest of 16 children meant Patterson was leaving a lot of close relationships behind when he moved to the Midwest. But it was also a way for him to become independent.
“Being away from home is kind of a good thing, in my eyes, and I think also in my family’s eyes as well,” Acey said. “The reason why is because he has an opportunity to go away. ‘Go be a man, grow up, figure it out. That’s how we live.’”
Patterson earned 14 carries in his true freshman season at Iowa. One of those carries was an explosive 17-yard run in the Hawkeyes’ 21-0 victory over Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
“None of us control our talent, right? We can only control our approach. His approach is very impressive, the way he goes to work. He’s a guy that’s jumped out,” Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said of Patterson before the 2022 contest with the Wildcats.
Patterson has increased his production this year. He currently has 24 carries on the season, despite missing three games due to a foot injury.
In Iowa’s 20-13 win over Iowa State, Patterson led all rushers with 86 yards — including a 59-yard burst — and made a couple of crucial blocks in pass protection.
“I just kept my head down every day and just worked,” Patterson said. “I knew my time would come, and when it would come I would show up.”
It’s a tall task for any running back to stop defenders at full speed who have broken through the line of scrimmage.
But head coach Kirk Ferentz and quarterback Cade McNamara have both praised Patterson’s pass protection, calling him “relentless.”
“We had two guys off the edge, and Jaz literally dove and took out two guys at one time, and it gave me just enough time to get the ball to Erick [All],” McNamara said of Patterson’s pass protection against the Cyclones.
Pass-blocking is a skill Patterson has tried to perfect since he was a young boy. He was coached by Acey and his father when he first started playing football.
Patterson said his older brother always told him to stay low, keep his shoulder pads over his legs, and fall forward.
“We had this certain kind of system, and the system was that there’s two things you’re gonna know how to do once you leave from under us as sports coaches,” Acey said. “The first thing you’re gonna know how to do, you’re gonna know how to block. And the second thing you’re gonna know how to do, you’re gonna know how to tackle.”
While pass blocking is one of Patterson’s most consistent skills, he thinks there is room for improvement. Iowa quarterbacks have been sacked 17 times for a loss of 143 yards.
“We need to instill confidence in [the QB] and let him know, like, nobody is coming through here,” Patterson said. “I feel like if we get better, he’ll be more confident in the pocket without having to worry about somebody coming in.”
Another thing Patterson, No. 3 on the depth chart, has always been familiar with is being a backup.
From youth league to high school, Patterson was never called on as a starter. At Deerfield Beach High School, Patterson was a backup to Jaylan Knighton, who is nicknamed “The Rooster.”
Knighton ended his prep career as the all-time leading rusher in Broward County history with 5,150 yards. He committed to Miami over several other college football powerhouses like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State. Knighton was the Hurricanes’ leading rusher in 2021 but entered the transfer portal last December.
The backup role is something Patterson embraces and uses as motivation to do well when he does get in the game.
“Any time he got his chance, he shot. The ‘next guy up’ was always the thing for him,” Acey said of his younger brother. “If you tell him to line up, and it’s a brick wall right there in front of him and he got to knock it down, I just hope that brick wall got his pads on.”
Kudos to Kaleb
Johnson started playing football around kindergarten. In youth league football, Johnson played multiple positions on offense and defense.
He strictly took on a running back role when he entered middle school and stuck with it throughout high school. He also played basketball and ran track to increase his speed for football.
As a junior and senior, Johnson led Hamilton High School to the state playoffs. He rushed for 1,004 yards and 15 touchdowns in his final prep season to earn first-team all-state honors.
Pittsburgh was the first school to offer Johnson a scholarship on March 26, 2020. He received scholarship offers from nearly 20 programs before committing to Iowa.
But Johnson initially thought Iowa City wasn’t the place for him.
Hailing from Hamilton, Ohio, Johnson first committed to California Berkeley on June 20, 2021.
His mind changed after attending a top-five matchup at Kinnick Stadium between Iowa and Penn State later that year.
The Hawkeyes came back from a two-touchdown deficit to win, 23-20, behind a 44-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Petras to Nico Ragaini with just under seven minutes to play.
Johnson witnessed thousands of fans flood the field in celebration. Three days later, he flipped his commitment.
Johnson’s mother, Juanielle Finley, said she questioned why her son changed his mind but added she trusted the high schooler to make the best decision for himself.
“He was saying that Iowa felt more like home, it felt more welcoming,” Finley said. “Everybody was very understanding, very helpful to him.”
Johnson had a standout season in his first year with the Hawkeyes. He was one of eight rookies to see the field in 2022 and set the Iowa freshman rushing record with 779 yards.
“I have [strength and conditioning staff member Raimond Brathweite] telling me those guys are passing by his office at 4:45 a.m., upbeat, ready to go for a 6 a.m. workout, not jumping in there a minute before we get going,” Kirk Ferentz said of Johnson and Patterson during their first year of summer workouts. “Sounds simple, but it’s really unusual for a first-year player.”
Finley said this is usual for her son, who she called a “gym head.” She said it’s hard to find time for her son to come home because Johnson “doesn’t believe he needs a break.”
Johnson was named the starting running back at the start of the season.
But he missed games against Western Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State because of a lower leg injury. Williams got most of the carries during this time with first-year running backs Kamari Moulton and Terrell Washington Jr. pitching in.
The second-year had a warm welcome in his first game back against Purdue.
He led the Hawkeyes to a 20-14 win with 134 yards on the ground, including a 67-yard touchdown run. It was Johnson’s second breakout game against Purdue as he rushed for a career-best 200 yards in Iowa’s 24-3 win over the Boilermakers last season.
While in recovery from the leg injury, the 6-foot, 222-pounder said he was “hurting inside.” It was hard for Johnson to be off the field and unable to play the game he loved, but his family and teammates encouraged him to stay on top of his treatments and push through.
Following the Purdue game, Johnson specifically credited his grandfather, Jeffery Strader, for encouraging him while he was out with the injury.
Finley said her mother and Strader, her stepfather, helped raise Kaleb and have always been his biggest cheerleaders.
“He always called me every day and made sure I was good, kept me encouraged, and told me to stay on top of my treatments, too. So big thanks to him,” Johnson said of his grandpa.
Despite feeling down when he was hurt, Johnson said he always cheered on the other running backs from the sidelines because “they are like family to [him].”
Heading into the final four games, the running back room is the healthiest it’s been all year.
“It’s football, everyone’s competitive, everyone wants the ball, but at the end of the day we all need each other,” Williams said. “We got to keep a healthy running back room. I feel like the healthier we are, the better the offense is.”
Johnson’s ultimate goal is to reach the NFL, but he is dedicated to finishing his information technology degree first. He was an AP scholar and honor roll student as a prep.
“I’m proud of my son to the point where I don’t think there’s no words in the dictionary, encyclopedia, or anything of that nature that can describe how proud I am of him,” Finley said.
Led by Leshon
Williams, from Chicago, is the veteran of the position group.
Iowa offered him a scholarship on May 15, 2019. Williams committed to Iowa less than 24 hours later.
He chose the Hawkeyes over 18 other programs, including Big Ten schools like Michigan State and Wisconsin.
A big reason Williams chose the Hawkeyes was because of former high school teammate Sebastian Castro.
Castro, currently a starting defensive back for Iowa, was a grade above Williams at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
The pair went on visits to Iowa City together, and Castro talked highly of the program when he was in his rookie season and Williams was still finishing his prep career.
“It wasn’t really a hard decision,” Williams said after committing.
Williams missed time throughout his senior prep season because of an ankle injury but still impressed. In just six games, he rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns on 121 carries.
The 21-year-old redshirted his rookie season at Iowa and then saw action in three contests in 2021.
The next season, Williams started five games before Johnson emerged as the team’s starter. In 12 game appearances, he recorded 413 yards and two touchdowns on 117 attempts.
He entered this season listed as the second-string running back behind Johnson.
In Iowa’s 15-6 win over Wisconsin in Madison, Williams earned the bulk of the carries and rushed for a career-high 174 yards. He also scored the Hawkeyes’ lone touchdown after taking a handoff on third-and-2 from quarterback Deacon Hill. He hit a stutter step and stiff-armed a Badger defender as he raced down the right sideline for an 82-yard score. The play was Iowa’s longest rush of the season and longest in program history since 1997.
Since his performance against the Badgers, Williams has been listed as the first-string running back.
This title doesn’t mean much to the 5-foot-10, 208-pounder.
He currently has 472 yards this season on 86 attempts, leading his teammates with 5.5 yards per carry.
“I’ve still got to go out there and do my job. Just because I’m listed as the starting running back really doesn’t mean nothing at the end of day,” Williams said.
Iowa is coming off of a season-worst performance on the ground against Minnesota, in which the Hawkeyes averaged just 0.4 yards per carry. Failing to establish the run game, Iowa fell, 12-10, to Minnesota for the first time in nearly nine years.
But the mindset in the running back room hasn’t wavered.
“I feel like we just try to go right at them,” Williams said. “We aren’t trying to be no easy tackles. Our coach always challenges us each and every week to get yards after contact, even when it’s not there. Sometimes you got to make a two-yard run into an eight-yard run. So that’s our goal each and every week: to go out there, run hard, make plays, make something out of nothing.”
