Zion Johnson holds the RB · Starter spot in Cincinnati Bearcats’s running back room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Zion Johnson logged a 9.8% overall usage rate in 2025.

Zion Johnson is a running back for Cincinnati who was a consensus three-star recruit from Newton High School in Covington, Georgia. He ranked among the top 40 running back recruits nationally and was a Top 100 player in Georgia. In high school, Johnson rushed for 5,130 yards and 44 touchdowns across his career, including 2,078 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. During the 2025 season, Johnson appeared in four games while earning a redshirt. He recorded 22 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown, with a long run of 21 yards. He also caught two passes for 21 yards. Johnson saw increasing playing time throughout the season, culminating in eight carries during the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.