Montrell Johnson – Syndication Server

Florida Football 2024 Position Preview: Running Backs

Montrell Johnson Jr. looks to carry the load for the Florida Gators offense this season, but who else can step up in the running backs room?

After previewing who the Gators have at quarterback, it’s time to dive into Florida’s running back room for the 2024 season.

Make no mistake, it’s tough to ignore the offseason departure of last year’s starting running back Trevor Etienne, but it looks like the Gators will have plenty of solid playmakers at the running back position this upcoming year.

Montrell Johnson Jr. will look to carry a bulk of the load in the backfield this season despite undergoing knee surgery a few weeks ago.

But for a position that requires a lot of depth, who will fill those backup spots for the Gators?

Starter: No. 1 Montrell Johnson Jr. (Sr.)

Rushing Stats:

Year	GP	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2021	14	162	838	5.2	12	99	59.9
2022	13	155	841	5.4	10	62	64.7
2023	12	152	817	5.4	5	52	68.1
Total	39	469	2,496	5.3	27	99	64.2

Receiving Stats:

Year	GP	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2021	14	6	53	8.8	0	15	3.8
2022	13	12	58	4.8	1	18	4.5
2023	12	30	236	7.9	1	19	19.7
Total	39	48	347	7.2	2	19	14.9

Now with his third season coming up with the Gators, Johnson looks to step into the starting running back role and serve as a leader for the offense.

Johnson is a very versatile back and can bring a lot to the table. He has great vision, can run between the tackles and be a threat with his pass-catching abilities.

However, Johnson lacks speed and open-field elusiveness.

Although Johnson is currently rehabbing from his recent knee surgery, head coach Billy Napier mentioned it as “minor.” With Week 1 against the Miami Hurricanes just a couple weeks away, it’s tough to tell whether Johnson will be ready to play. He is currently listed week to week.

Backups: No. 5 Treyaun Webb (So.) and No. 24 Ja’Kobi Jackson (R-Jr.)

Rushing Stats (Webb):

Year	GP	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2023	11	26	163	6.3	2	43	14.8

Receiving Stats (Webb):

Year	GP	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	Long	AVG/G
2023	11	4	18	4.5	0	12	1.6

Treyaun Webb is a sophomore from Jacksonville who has the most experience out of anyone behind Johnson.

After winning a couple of state championships at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, the former four-star recruit played his first season with Florida last year and as a freshman, was able to log a couple of touchdowns.

Expect Webb’s workload to increase a lot more.

Ja’Kobi Jackson transferred from Coahoma (Mississippi) Community College and redshirted last season.

In his last season at Coahoma, Jackson led the team in rushing yards (661), touchdowns (7) and average per game (73.44).

Jackson looks to make it a competitive fight for that backup running back spot.

Freshmen: No. 13 Jadan Baugh (Fr.) and No. 21 KD Daniels (Fr.)

Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels are the two true freshmen in the running backs room.

Baugh was ranked as a four-star recruit out of Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia, and turned some heads after playing well in the Orange & Blue game this past Spring.

Daniels was also a four-star recruit who has been performing well in training camp.

Coming out of West Point, Mississippi, Daniels has plenty of potential and looks to make an impact in the years to come.

Injury/Walk-Ons: No. 27 Cam Carroll (R-Sr.) and No. 25 Anthony Rubio (R-Fr.)

Cam Carroll transferred from Tulane last year but suffered a season-ending knee injury on the last day of fall camp.

It’ll be interesting to see if Carroll will see some time on the field this season, but it’s also tough to take some time away from the guys ahead of him.

Anthony Rubio, son of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, joined the Gators as a walk-on last season. Rubio went to Belen Jesuit in Miami.

I don’t expect these guys to see the field this season.

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Montrell Johnson Jr. ready to take on increased workload in 2024

Montrell Johnson Jr. enters the 2024 season as Florida’s primary running back after two years of splitting carries with Trevor Etienne.

It feels like [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] has been the guy at running back for Florida since Billy Napier took over in the Swamp, but 2024 will be the first time he truly enters the season as Florida’s primary running back.

Despite impressing as a true freshman under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] at Louisiana, Johnson spent his sophomore year splitting carries with first-year rusher [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and mobile quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]. Johnson led the team with 155 carries in 2022, but Etienne (118) and Richardson (103) clearly ate into his workload.

He split carries with Etienne again in 2023, ending the year with 152 carries. Etienne’s workload increased by 23 carries despite playing two fewer games than the year before.

With Etienne at Georgia now, Johnson is set to receive the lion’s share of Florida’s handoffs.

“I expect to get the ball more coming in the future, this next season,” Johnson said at the SEC Media Days. “I’m not too worried about (the offense losing Etienne), because I feel like I can hold the load on my own and just go out there and make sure I play mistake-free football.”

That kind of confidence is necessary to face the kind of schedule Florida has in front of it. The SEC schedule is tough enough, but adding matchups against Florida State, Miami and UCF means the Gators will face the toughest schedule in the country this fall.

“The locker room is very exciting,” he said. “With this upcoming schedule, I feel like the guys are using it as motivation and looking at it as 12 opportunities to prove ourselves to the nation.”

Johnson is also looking to expand on his pass-catching game since he’ll be in the backfield more often. After finishing his sophomore year with 58 yards on 12 catches, Johnson hauled in 30 passes for 236 yards last season. His receiving touchdown total stayed put at just one, but there’s been a clear effort to improve in that area.

“I want to catch more balls in the backfield and just get in space more. I just show my ability to, you know, make the first defender miss stuff like that.

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CBS Sports explains why you should pick Florida in College Football 25

Brad Crawford prefers to the Florida Gators on College Football 25 with a true freshman under center.

EA Sports College Football 25 was released on Monday to those who ordered the deluxe version of the game or have an EA Play membership, giving the world an early view of the highly-anticipated video game.

The sports media has pounced on the topic since its 4 p.m. ET release and many have already expressed their excitement after playing the first update to the game in over a decade. CBS Sports had its staff try out all 134 teams featured in EA Sports’ latest offering, with Brad Crawford drawing the Southeastern Conference.

That includes the Florida Gators — a program that he decided to mix things up under center to see what the squad can do on offense.

“We’re not downing [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] here, but go ahead and rip the band-aid off in Gainesville with a freshman starter at quarterback and see what you can get out of five-star [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag],” Crawford said. “Throw it to wideout [autotag]Eugene Wilson[/autotag], who might be the SEC’s best-kept secret.

According to the in-game ratings, Mertz is valued at 84 while Lagway gets an 80 rating in his true freshman year. Wilson earns an 86 rating, but do not sleep on incoming transfer [autotag]Elijhah Badger[/autotag], who earned an 85 rating.

Running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] hold the best rating on the offensive side of the ball at 87.

Player ratings for Gators’ roster in EA Sports College Football 25

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Evaluating Florida football in reimagined Southeastern Conference

The Athletic gives its take on Florida’s status now that the SEC has officially expanded to 16 schools.

July 1 marked the date that the Southeastern Conference officially expanded to 16 teams, adding the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns — two storied institutions in multiple sports — to an already packed roster of member schools.

The expansion of the SEC represents another step toward a new world order of sorts for college football, and the Florida Gators are definitely experiencing those winds of change. One of five conference programs to have won a national title in the last 20 years, during which time the SEC took home 13 of the 20 championship trophies, things are off to a tough start for the Orange and Blue.

“Is this the toughest schedule in the modern era of college football? A case could be made,” The Athletic’s Kennington Smith III begins. “Am I betting on Florida to surpass its 4.5 over/under win total (BetMGM)? Yes, I am.”

Silver linings for Florida

“It has been a tough start with the Gators for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag], but talent acquisition hasn’t been the issue: Florida’s 63% blue-chip rate according to Bud Elliott is 11th nationally and higher than every team on the Gators’ schedule except for Georgia, Texas and LSU,” Smith offers.

Gators are in good hands with Graham Mertz

“There are good pieces: Quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] completed 72.3 percent of his passes with just three turnovers a season ago, running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] is the second-leading returning rusher in the SEC, and the Gators signed the No. 5 transfer portal class.”

It all starts with Game 1

“Early swing games could determine Florida’s season. Miami (Week 1) is a talented but underachieving program. The Gators open SEC play with Texas A&M (Week 3) and Mississippi State (Week 4) under first-year coaches. Central Florida (Week 5) should be improved, but that’s certainly a winnable game.

“Tennessee is Week 6, but that’s a series Florida has dominated recently. Napier’s seat is pretty warm for July, but some early wins could cool it off.”

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and Miami open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Montrell Johnson ‘down for the challenge’ on Saturday, expects extra carries

Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson addressed the media ahead of the Vanderbilt game, says he’s “down for the challenge.”

Transfer running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] spoke to the media on Wednesday to preview the homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The depth chart was released Wednesday afternoon and Florida sophomore running back Trevor Etienne is listed as questionable with an upper-body injury. That means Johnson will be the primary ball carrier for the Gators offense on Saturday.

Montrell hasn’t been quite as elusive or dangerous as his counterpart, but he has the potential to break out a stellar day against Vanderbilt. The Commodores rushing defense ranks No. 83 among FBS teams, surrendering 147 rush yards a game.

Florida head Billy Napier is familiar with Johnson’s game, coaching him up as a Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun and may utilize that chemistry this weekend.

Florida offers former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun DB in transfer portal

He might not fit the Gators’ immediate needs but Napier might be able to snag another former Cajun from the transfer portal.

When Florida hired Billy Napier to take over the football program in November of 2021, the new head coach brought with him a pair of studs from the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns through the transfer portal who were critical to the Gators’ gridiron efforts during the 2022 season.

Between running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] along with offensive lineman and second-round NFL draft pick [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag], the Orange and Blue benefitted greatly from that talent pipeline. It appears that connection could once again bear fruit as Napier and Co. recently offered defensive back [autotag]Trenayvian Amos[/autotag], a rising redshirt junior who saw significant playing time during his three years in the bayou.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 197-pound defender recorded 59 total tackles (46 solo, 13 assisted), including 2.5 for a loss, an interception, a forced fumble and 13 passes defended over 30 collegiate games. Amos saw his production increase meteorically in 2022, amassing 26 solo and nine assisted tackles (including one for a loss) plus eight passes defended.

After tweeting that he had entered the portal on Monday night, the former Ragin Cajun quickly received scholarship offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan State Spartans and Ole Miss Rebels. While Napier has mentioned his desire to bolster the defensive backfield, it remains to be seen if Amos’ experience on the outside fills the role when the team is looking more for someone at the safety position.

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Florida’s assistant running backs coach takes job downstate with Hurricanes

Florida’s assistant running backs coach just took a job with the ‘Canes doing pretty much what he did for the Gators.

Billy Napier lost another member of his army of staffers on Tuesday with the departure of assistant running backs coach [autotag]Benedick Hyppolite[/autotag], who took a job with the Miami Hurricanes as an offensive analyst working specifically with the running back corps — much like he did in Gainesville last season.

Hyppolite’s burgeoning coaching career has already had three stops on the collegiate circuit, starting as the offensive coordinator at Florida Memorial University — and HBCU in South Florida — in 2019 before joining the Hurricanes’ staff as a graduate assistant in 2020. He then got his big break with the Gators under Napier last season assisting with Florida’s successful running backs room before moving back south for a similar role in Miami.

Last season, UF’s rushing attack was among the top in the nation for most of the season thanks in large part to his efforts off the field. Transfer [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] combined for 1,560 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, building the foundation of what should be a terrorizing ground attack for the Gators in years to come.

The departing analyst was no slouch on the recruiting trail either, shouldering a load in wooing four-star running backs [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] and [autotag]Chauncey Bowens[/autotag], while also stepping out of the backfield to assist in the recruitment of four-star wide receiver [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag].

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Final CBS Sports’ re-rank of 2022 has Florida in top 50

CBS Sports’ final rankings are out and the Gators’ ranking might be a bit surprising.

The final CBS Sports 1-131 rankings of the 2022 season saw Florida football come in as the No. 50 team overall, finishing the 2022 season as the No. 10 team in the SEC.

The Gators closed things out with a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Florida’s only points of the game came late in the fourth quarter, extending the Orange and Blue’s scoring streak to 436 consecutive games dating back to 1988. It is the longest streak in NCAA history and 57 games longer than the next closest team.

Florida finished the 2022 season with a 6-7 record, with five of their losses coming in SEC play.

Before that, they suffered a 45-38 loss to in-state rival Florida State. Florida’s performance was a microcosm of their autumn, as they started off strong and took a 41-21 lead into the half before a disastrous third quarter put them behind for good. A last push during the fourth quarter was valiant but not enough to pull the Gators ahead in the end.

Needless to say, they did not participate in conference championship week.

The offense finished as one of the better-rushing offenses in the country as [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] established himself as the power back in Napier’s system. But it was [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag]’s explosiveness and speed that made him a bright spot this season, and he will be the player to watch going into 2023.

With over two dozen players leaving the program, either via the transfer portal or to prepare for the NFL draft, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has a lot of roster rebuilding this offseason. The 2023 recruiting class currently has 21 players in it, with at least 18 blue-chip (four or five-star) prospects. Napier has also been active in the transfer portal, landing multiple players that are expected to make an immediate impact next season.

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Best photos from Montrell Johnson Jr.’s 2022 season at Florida

Take a look at some of the highlights from Johnson’s workhorse season for the Gators in 2022.

Running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. followed head coach Billy Napier from Louisiana to Florida prior to the 2022 season, hopping over to the Sunshine State through the NCAA transfer portal. The decision was a smart one for both him and the Gators, as the 5-foot-11-inch, 218-pound back played in all 13 games this fall for Florida, getting the starting nod in nine of them.

The sophomore was a workhorse for the Orange and Blue this past season, totaling 155 carries for 841 yards (5.4 yards/per) and 10 touchdowns as the primary option in the backfield while also grabbing 12 catches for 58 yards (4.8 yards/per) and a score through the air.

Take a look below at some of the top photographs of Johnson from the 2022 Florida football campaign — his first in Gainesville.

CBS Sports’ post-Week 11 re-rank sees Gators continue to rise

The Florida Gators rise in the latest CBS Sports’ full ranking of all FBS teams, after dominating against South Carolina. They are 6th in the SEC.

The latest CBS Sports rankings see the Florida Gators rise for the second consecutive week. They are currently the No. 30 team in the nation and the No. 6 team in the SEC, an improvement of six spots overall and two spots in the SEC.

The Gators are coming off a dominant 38-6 victory over South Carolina which put them at 6-4, clinching bowl eligibility. The game was dominated on the ground, as the Gators racked up 374 rushing yards with [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] leading the pack with 161 yards. The defense also stepped up. They have now gone six consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown.

Florida’s final two games will be played on the road. They wrap up their SEC schedule against Vanderbilt before making the short trip northwest to take on Florida State in a special Black Friday edition of the Sunshine State Showdown. The game will return to its normal post-Thanksgiving Saturday date next season.

The Vanderbilt game will be played in Nashville this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for noon EST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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