Aiken puts difficult past behind him during Rutgers career

There was a time when Johnathan Aiken didn’t know when or if he was going to get his life in order, much less play major college football.

As a young boy growing up in Dania Beach, Florida, Aiken lived a nightmare at 3 years old when his mother was murdered. His grandmother took care of him after he was separated from his three siblings, but after she passed five years later, Aiken went into foster care. 

He never met his biological father.

As kids picked on him through grade school for not having a mother, Aiken developed anger issues, started hanging out with the wrong crowds at his Fort Lauderdale public high school and was suspended many times.

Years later, Aiken has put that troubling past behind him through four seasons with the Rutgers football team.

“I’ve seen him grow not just as a football player, but as a person, as a whole,” said senior strong safety Lorenzo Waters, Aiken’s roommate. “Some people may know his background. Some people don’t, but I’ve seen him come through a lot of the struggles he’s had and persevere and be able to be one of the leaders on this team.”

Transferring from Fort Lauderdale to Chaminade-Madonna Prep during his high school years helped Aiken get his grades up, which allowed him to compete in the sport he loved.

After the safety played only one year of high school in 2009, Rivals pegged him a 3-star recruit. Thirteen schools offered him a scholarship.

Like many others from Florida during former head coach Greg Schiano’s tenure, Aiken took a chance coming up north. 

With only one home game left in his career, he isn’t sure where his head is emotionally or how it will feel to walk out of the tunnel at High Point Solutions Stadium one final time. 

But one thing is certain: Aiken is nothing but gracious for the experience.

“I’m excited I even got an opportunity just to be a part of this family for four years. It just feels great,” Aiken said. “I made the best of it. Every time I could make an opportunity to get on the field [and] help my team win. That’s all I really care about.”

The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder entered the program at cornerback and then played some linebacker for a spring due to injuries before settling in at safety, his natural position, as a sophomore.

Aiken’s stats have rarely been flashy, recording only one tackle while playing sparingly in nine games his first two seasons — mostly on special teams.

He has since made seven starts these past two seasons, compiling 52 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss and two sacks.

“I’m really excited that he finally got a chance to step out there and show everybody what he can do,” Waters said. “I’ve been playing alongside him for the last few years, and I’ve been really impressed with what he can do. He’s always been capable, but it’s just about the depth chart and the people in front of him. He didn’t really get a chance to step on the field, but now that he has, he’s really gotten a chance to showcase his talents.”

Aiken’s biggest opportunities and results have come as a senior.

Starting the Aug. 30 opener at Washington State, Aiken recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter and broke up a fourth-down pass at the end of the game to seal Rutgers’ win. That earned him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.

“That’s probably number one, followed by Michigan — that’s number two,” Aiken said of his favorite memories. “Those are memories I’ll keep for a very long time.”

But even with few on-field highlights, Aiken will cherish something deeper from his time in Piscataway.

As he prepares to move on with hopes of playing more football before pursuing a career in labor studies and employment relations, Aiken can only thank the maturation process Rutgers’ family atmosphere provided after many years of suffering.

“That’s what football is really all about — meeting guys and just building relationships with them,” Aiken said. “Those guys could be friends for the rest of your life. That’s what the most valuable part of coming to college and building brotherhoods like this is.”

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