IOWA CITY, Iowa – One thing I think many of us take for granted, at least I do, is the amount of toughness it takes to play college football.

Or any level of football, for that matter.

The sport is wonderful in so many ways, but also vicious, violent and dangerous.

It takes a special kind of person to play football, somebody who can tolerate pain, who is fearless and who is tougher than gristle on a steak.

Somebody like Iowa senior defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson.

If I had to pick one member of the Iowa football team to lead me down a dark and dangerous alley, it very well could be the 6-foot-4, 310-pound Johnson.

It was only recently that I quite being afraid while interviewing him. And I say that only half jokingly.

This isn’t to suggest that Johnson is rude because that isn’t the case at all.

He speaks softly to reporters, sometimes barely above a whisper. But his words come through loud and clear.

Johnson will make his 17th consecutive start for the Hawkeyes in Saturday’s game against five-time defending FCS national champion North Dakota State at Kinnick Stadium.

He often gets overshadowed from playing with star linebacker Josey Jewell and with superstar cornerback Desmond King.

But when it comes to toughness, nobody overshadows Johnson.

“That’s really what it comes down to, physical toughness, but mental toughness definitely plays a key role in this, too,” Johnson said Tuesday. “I mean you can be as physical as you want to, but it won’t matter if you’re not mentally tough.”

Being mentally tough covers a lot of territory for a football player.

It can be anything from overcoming the persistent pain from playing a violent sport to having the right mindset heading into a game.

Johnson’s mindset is always the same.

He enters each game determined to break the spirit of the lineman who lines up across from him on offense.

“If we go out the first play against anybody and just hit them in the mouth, if we break their will in the first quarter or the first half, then that’s when we know that we have an edge on that team,” Johnson said.

That’s another way to describe intimidation.

And when it comes to playing football, being the intimidator is a good thing.

It was obvious almost from the start of last Saturday’s 42-3 victory over Iowa State that Johnson and his cohorts in the trenches had a huge advantage on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

“That felt good,” said Johnson, who is from Lombard, Ill.

But on the other hand, so much about playing football doesn’t feel good.

We only see the players for a few hours once or twice a week. And the players who are seriously injured, we rarely see them.

Johnson has been fortunate to make it this far in football without suffering a serious injury, including a concussion. He once tore a ligament in his thumb in high school, but that’s about it.

“It’s kind of surprising, but I don’t really think about that going into a game,” Johnson said.

Nor should he.

Football isn’t for the timid.

The amount of pain and suffering that some players endure just to be ready by game day is truly amazing.

Johnson was asked Tuesday how often he is in pain during the season.

“All the time, we all are,” Johnson said. “But that’s why we come in and recover the way we do. And just start the week off brand new for our next opponent.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday that there were a “handful of guys” whose availability for Saturday’s game was uncertain because of injuries. That would appear to be center James Daniels, defensive end Parker Hesse and offensive lineman Sean Welsh.

It’s impossible for us to know just how brutal the recovery process can be for a college football player because we only see the finished product on Saturday.

Ferentz sees the pain, suffering and isolation up close. Injuries are the part of the game he hates the most.

“The worst thing for any player is to be injured because you just don’t feel like you’re part of it,” Ferentz said. “You feel like you’re on the outside looking in. I don’t care if it’s a minor ankle sprain, you miss two days. It’s how you feel.”

And yet, so many of the Iowa players bounce back from injuries on a regular basis, helped by an experienced and well-trained medical staff, but also by the physical and mental toughness of each player.

“If you really want it, I don’t think anything is going to stop you from going out there and getting it,’ Johnson said of overcoming injuries.