So he traded in his shoulder pads and helmet for discs and shot puts.
He obviously made the right decision.
Johnson, 21, a 2023 Springboro High graduate, is a junior on the University of Iowa track and field team where he recently won the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship for the weight throw at the University of Arkansas.
Johnson’s throw of 25.64 meters won Iowa’s first weight throw NCAA title and set meet and facility records.
His mark was two centimeters off his personal best. He’s now a two-time first-team All-American after placing third a season ago.
He’s a back-to-back BIG 10 champion after he threw the all-time NCAA record weight throw of 25.66 meter, the fourth longest in world history.
He was asked what’s it like throwing around a 35-pound weight.
“You mentally have to tell yourself this thing weighs nothing,” he said.
Johnson, 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, is on the watch list for the Bowerman Award, the highest award in NCAA track and field. Winners are selected by the Bowerman Advisory Board and Bowerman voters based on performances from the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
While he appreciates all the accolades, Johnson prefers to give all the credit to God. At the NCAA indoor meet, Johnson held a Bible in his right hand while standing on the podium with a gold medal and a cross around his neck.
“I have always trusted God with my agenda, my effort,” he said from Iowa City. “I try to glorify His name, not mine. God has been good to me for sure.”
The Johnson family, his parents Brad and Brenna, and sister Hannah, attend First United Methodist Church in Springboro.
His mother said Ryan has always had a strong faith and he has found some “really good Christian leaders” in college.
After graduating from Springboro, Johnson attended Eastern Michigan for one season, then transferred to Iowa.
A mechanical engineering major, Johnson has the work ethic “like no one ever,” his mother said. “He works hard, sees what he wants and goes after it.”
When Johnson attended Eastern Michigan for one year, he said the football coaches tried to recruit him. He said the Iowa coaches haven’t approached him.
While he hasn’t played football for years, he may participate in the NFL combine after college “just for fun,” he said. “But only if it glorifies the Lord.”
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