Tag: Montrell Johnson Jr

Which Gators are likely to declare for the 2024 NFL draft?

We know what some of the big names will be doing next year, but Gator Nation is still waiting for several players to make draft decisions.

Gator Nation has already learned the fate of a few 2024 NFL draft candidates on the team.

Ricky Pearsall is going pro, Graham Mertz is running it back and Princely Umanmielen surprised everyone by announcing his return to college football and entering the transfer portal. But several announcements have yet to be made. Gators Online says that Florida could be losing a pair of defensive backs and an offensive lineman to the draft.

Cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. started the season as a potential first-rounder. While he never lived up to those expectations, he could still go high in the draft. Some mocks have him going ahead of Pearsall. The College Advisory Committee could influence his decision if Marshall’s draft grade isn’t up to his liking.

Defensive back Jaydon Hill won’t have to think too hard about his decision. He walked on Senior Night and should enter the draft, per GO.

Offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua started at right guard for Florida in 11 of 12 games and could very well be turning pro this spring. He has one more year of eligibility remaining, but Mazzccua wants to get his pro career started.

Finally, there’s running back Montrell Johnson Jr., who has spent all three years of his college football career as Billy Napier’s top running back. He could turn pro, but Trevor Etienne’s exit opens the door for him to have a big senior year should he return.

Treyaun Webb will be a year older and more involved, but a redshirt in 2023 means he still has plenty of time to see starting reps. That leaves Johnson with a decision to make, and Gators Online says he is leaning toward a return.

There would be a lot of pressure to eclipse 1,000 yards and no Etienne to lean on when things get tough, but Johnson might be up for the challenge. Florida should put together a nice NIL offer in hopes of keeping him in Gainesville for one more year.

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Billy Napier knows Florida’s run game needs to improve after slow Week 1

The Florida Gators couldn’t get anything going on the ground against Utah, and Billy Napier knows his team needs to run the ball better.

The run game was supposed to be Florida’s biggest strength heading into the 2023 season, but the Gators rushed for just 34 yards in a season-opening loss to Utah Thursday night.

Trevor Etienne led the way with 25 yards on seven carries, finding most of his success following the outer-right side of the line. Montrell Johnson Jr. had a harder time finding a hole. He was limited to just six yards on three carries, all up the middle.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the way (Utah) plays,” Napier said after the game. “But there’s no doubt that’s an area where we need to improve. We’ve got to get production out of the two backs. We’ve got to give them an opportunity to impact the game. When we did run it, I don’t necessarily know that it was as effective as we wanted it to be.

“There’s no question we’ll have to run the ball more effectively in the future.”

Pro Football Focus gave Etienne an offensive grade of 59.7 and Johnson a 58.5, which is well below each player’s season average from 2022. Florida is supposed to have one of the premier rushing attacks in all of college football, but that was far from the case on Thursday.

Being down a starter on the offensive line provides at least some explanation for the weak ground game. Kingsley Eguakun has started every game for Florida over the past two seasons, and the gap between the center and left guard was non-existent without him on the field.

Florida’s offensive woes were most noticeable when Graham Mertz was taking a hit, but the ground game suffered because of it as well.

Speaking of Mertz, Napier made sure to praise his starting quarterback for a solid debut in the Orange in Blue. Mertz threw for 333 yards and a touchdown, completing 70 percent of his pass attempts and securing a 137 quarterback rating in the process.

“I was pleased with Graham,” Napier said. “I think there were a handful of plays that he would like to have back. A few early that were a little inaccurate at times, but he made a lot of plays too. This was the first game he’s ever thrown for 300-plus.

“For the most part, out there, the guy is doing what we want him to do. The ball is going where it’s supposed to go. Oftentimes, a quarterback gets too much credit and too much blame.”

Napier added that Mertz has a few things to work on, but the passing game needs far less fine-tuning than the running game does. It will be tough to gauge just how much Florida improved from week to week with McNeese State up next on the schedule.

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Where Florida’s 2023 RB room ranks nationally, per College Sports Wire

The Gators are looking like they have at least a top-20 running back room next fall.

The 2023 college football season is less than 100 days away from its opening kickoff and it is never too soon for positional rankings for the upcoming season. College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn recently assembled his running back power rankings for the Southeastern Conference’s upcoming schedule, including the Florida Gators, and has now produced his list of national running back rooms.

The Orange and Blue have had solid success in the offensive backfield, being it the three-headed monster of the early 1980s, the run of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor’s sustained success during his career, or even recent first-round draft pick Lamical Perine. Long story short, while Florida has long been known as a quarterback school it has also produced a plethora of backfield bruisers.

This coming season, the Gators are expected to lean on the running game a bit more than usual, given that both of the options at quarterback leave a lot to be desired in Billy Napier’s second year.

So where are the Gators in relation to the rest of the nation? Conn ranks presumed starter [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and the running back corps as the 16th-best this fall. Here is his justification.

SEC Ranking: No. 3

Johnson matched his production in 2022 from his time at Louisiana with head coach Billy Napier. The Gators have a plethora of backs but Johnson is likely going to be the lead dog once again. He has the talent to be a 1,000-yard back in this league, now he just needs to prove it. But Trevor Etienne might have something to say about who gets the most touches in 2023.

The Gators open up their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with the start time still to be determined.

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Where Florida’s 2023 RB room ranks in the SEC, per College Sports Wire

College Sports Wire ranks the SEC’s presumed starting running backs for the 2023 campaign.

The start of the 2023 college football campaign is still a few months away but it is never too soon for positional rankings for the upcoming season. As such, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn recently assembled his running back power rankings for the Southeastern Conference’s upcoming schedule, including the Florida Gators.

The Orange and Blue have had solid success in the offensive backfield, being it the three-headed monster of the early 1980s, the run of Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor’s sustained success during his career, or even recent first-round draft pick Lamical Perine. Long story short, while Florida has long been known as a quarterback school it has also produced a plethora of backfield bruisers.

This coming season, the Gators are expected to lean on the running game a bit more than usual, given that both of the options at quarterback leave a lot to be desired in Billy Napier’s second year.  So that begs the question: Where does UF land in comparison to its SEC peers? Conn ranks presumed starter [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. as the third-best option in the conference this fall. Here is his justification.

Johnson matched his production in 2022 from his time at Louisiana with head coach Billy Napier. The Gators have a plethora of backs but Johnson is likely going to be the lead dog once again. He has the talent to be a 1,000-yard back in this league, now he just needs to prove it. But Trevor Etienne might have something to say about who gets the most touches in 2023.

The Gators open up their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with the start time still to be determined.

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Florida has one of college football’s 12 most lethal rosters in 2023

Florida has a ton of talent on its roster heading into the 2023 season, but that doesn’t guarantee success.

The Florida Gators finished tied for 12th in 247Sports’ recent list of the most lethal rosters heading into the 2023 season.

247Sports’ Brad Crawford used the site’s team composite ranking to rank the teams. He took the average position of the team’s finish over the past five years and Florida finished with a 12.4 average, the same as Michigan.

Florida finished 14th in the country during the most recent cycle. Losing five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada hurt a class that had a chance to break the top 10. Florida’s first class under Billy Napier in 2022 ranked No. 18 overall, and Dan Mullen brought in the No. 12 class in 2021 and the No. 9 class in 2019 and 2020.

“When Florida is winning national titles, the Gators are one of the nation’s elite recruiting teams,” Crawford wrote. “And while this program has a top-12 roster based on talent heading into coach Billy Napier’s second season, there are certainly depth concerns that the coaching staff must contend with following a disappointing 6-7 finish under the new regime.”

The problem with using this metric to rank teams is that transfers come and go, and the bulk of the Mullen classes has moved on from the program in one way or another. The class of 2020 features some team leaders, such as receiver [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag], but much of the class has transferred out or declared for the upcoming draft.

Florida also added a ton of transfer over the past two offseasons. Quarterbacks [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Cameron Carroll[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag], offensive linemen [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag], [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] and Micah Mazzccua, defensive linemen [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag] and [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag]  and cornerback [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] could all play significant roles for the team next season.

Florida could end up playing like a top-12 in the country by the season’s end, especially if the transfers help make up for the talent lost over the past few years, but it’s unwise to think of the Gators as a top-12 program in terms of actual talent heading into the season.

There’s been too much turnover in the program over the past couple of years for this metric to work for the Gators. A team like Michigan has a much better chance of living up to the expectations created by this list.

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Florida impresses No. 1 running back in class of 2024 during Junior Day

Florida is doing its best to get five-star running back and Gainesville native Jerrick Gibson back on board.

Before Billy Napier arrived at Florida, five-star IMG Academy running back [autotag]Jerrick Gibson[/autotag] was the shining pearl of the Gators’ 2024 recruiting class. After [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] was axed, Gibson mulled things over and backed off that pledge, but he’s still giving the Gators a shot to earn back his commitment.

Gibson was in Gainesville Saturday for Florida’s final Junior Day of the January 2023 contact period. The entire month of February is a dead period for recruiting, so this visit served as the final word until spring trips begin in March. It was only his second time seeing the new facilities, and Gibson got a much better look than he did when he saw UF host USF in September, according to Gators Online.

“This was my second time visiting the new facility, so today was a surprise,” Gibson said. “The first time I didn’t see everything, but today I got to see everything and get around the facility. It amazed me how much stuff they have at the facility.”

He spent time with running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] and Napier going over what his role might be with the Gators. Juluke coached three players to 500-yard seasons or better in 2022, so Gibson doesn’t see himself struggling to find playing time.

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. could be in the NFL by the time Gibson gets on a college campus, [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] will be one year away from becoming draft-eligible and [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] is the only scholarship back in the most recent class. A triumvirate of Etienne, Gibson and Webb might be elite, and quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] will be on campus too.

Florida has plenty of catching up to do, but there is the hometown element weighing on Gibson. Before he wound up at IMG Academy, Gibson was playing for Gainesville High.

“It’s home,” Gibson said. “It’s always been home, so that’s one of the things they got up on everybody.”

In addition to UF, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are among the programs pushing hardest for Gibson. He’s hoping to take official visits over the summer, and one of those schools isn’t getting one. Florida has to figure out a way to make sure it’s not the odd man left out.

Gibson is ranked No. 11 overall and No. 1 among running backs on the On3 consensus. He broke the top 10 on the 247Sports composite, claiming the final spot with a .9941 rating.

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Gators adding former Auburn OC to staff as analyst

Billy Napier added an analyst with experience as an offensive coordinator in the SEC to his staff on Sunday.

Billy Napier added former Auburn offensive coordinator [autotag]Eric Kiesau[/autotag] to his staff on Sunday, according to Matt Zenitz of On3.

Kiesau will serve as an analyst for Napier’s Florida Gators. He spent the last two years working his way up from analyst to offensive coordinator with the Tigers but was fired along with several other staff members (including head coach Bryan Harsin) on Halloween. Napier is familiar with Kiesau from their time coaching at Alabama together in 2015 and obviously still sees value in him in a more minor position.

It’s too soon to tell how large of a role Kiesau will play, but he does have extensive experience calling plays for Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State and Washington in addition to Auburn. Napier was criticized at times during his first year for mismanaging time and playcalling, so Kiesau could help out there.

He’s also specialized in coaching quarterbacks in the past, so Kiesau could work with what is essentially a clean slate in the quarterbacks room. Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] is just getting settled in Gainesville, and [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] has spent just a few weeks practicing as Florida’s starter after recovering from a thumb injury and taking over for [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag].

It is worth noting that Auburn’s passing game didn’t thrive while Kiesau was there. Instead, it was the rushing attack that led the way, and Florida has a solid foundation on the ground. Both [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] return after serving as one of the best backfield tandems in the game last year.

Kiesau certainly has a lot of talent to work with in Gainesville and is familiar with what it takes to win in the SEC.

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Former Tulane running back transferring to Florida

Florida’s running backs room just got a little bit larger with the addition of former Tulane back Cameron Carroll.

After five years with the Tulane Green Wave, running back [autotag]Cameron Carroll[/autotag] is transferring to the University of Florida.

The veteran back replaces a pair of outgoing rushers in the portal, [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] (USF) and [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] (Akron). Of course, [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] will return as Florida’s primary backs, and the Gators also added [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] in the most recent recruiting class.

Snaps won’t come easy to Carroll, but he should be able to work his way into the offense, especially as Webb takes time to find his footing in the college game. He is the eighth player to transfer to Florida this offseason and brings the scholarship total up to 81.

Carroll missed most of 2021 after undergoing foot surgery following the first game of the season. He rushed for a team-high 741 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2020 but took a step back in 2021 with 546 yards and three scores. Last year, the Gators used a steady mix of running backs, though, so Carroll will get plenty of reps over the spring and summer as Napier figures out the rotation.

Out of high school, Carroll was an underrated prospect. He was a two-star prospect by 247Sports’ measure and ranked No. 138 at his position. He’s already achieved more than most expected at the college level, and spending one year in the SEC could get the right eyes on him before a potential run at the NFL. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining while at Florida.

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Here’s where Florida lands in ESPN’s final 2022 season SP+ rankings

The Gators are a top 35 team in ESPN’s final SP+ rankings of the 2022 season, per ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

ESPN has released their final college football SP+ rankings of the 2022 college football season, with the Florida Gators coming in as a top 35 team in the country.

Connelly developed the SP+ ranking system in 2008 and, in his own words, is “a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” and “intended to be predictive and forward-facing.”

The offensive metric is much kinder to the Orange and Blue than the defensive metric. Offensively, the Gators are the 24th-best team in SP+, with a rating of 37.5. Defensively, Florida is the 69th-best team in SP+, with a rating of 27.4. With such contrasting numbers, the Gators’ final 2022 record of 6-7 (including their Las Vegas Bowl loss) makes perfect sense.

The stark difference in the rating properly explains Billy Napier’s first season in charge of the Orange and Blue. Offensively, the Gators were one of the best-rushing teams in the nation. Their three-headed monster of [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]., [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag], and [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] did their jobs behind a talented offensive line led by consensus first-team All-American guard O’Cyrus Torrence. Both Richardson and Torrence have declared for the NFL draft while Etienne and Johnson Jr. are expected to be the backbone of the Gators’ offensive identity in 2023.

Florida’s defensive ranking accurately represents the journey the unit took over the course of the season. Sometimes, the defense looked lost and confused. Other times, the defense was locked in and determined to get off the field. They even recorded at least one turnover in all 12 games this season.

After their Las Vegas Bowl loss to Oregon State, the Gators turned their attention to the transfer portal and recruiting to continue building the roster in Napier’s image. They currently have 21 players in their 2023 class, with most of them considered to be blue-chip (four and five-star) prospects. They have also landed multiple players in the transfer portal. With over 25 players leaving the program via the NFL draft and the portal, expect to see many new faces in Gainesville in 2023.

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Florida considered a ‘loser’ in ESPN’s transfer portal recap

The Gators are a “loser” due to the number of players that have left the program in recent weeks.

With the creation of the transfer portal and the one-time transfer rule in full effect, players have changed teams at the highest rate in history. Some programs have been more successful than others. ESPN has compiled a list of their recent winners and losers of the transfer portal, with the Florida Gators falling into the “losers” category.

The portal is still early in its existence. Players have always been able to transfer, but the one-time transfer rule has given players more agency in their collegiate careers. It also allows coaches to plug roster holes in a more immediate fashion. While a strategy of loading up on transfers isn’t sustainable as a long-term roster-building technique, it can be helpful in transition periods where a new coach is looking to turn over the roster.

That’s the situation that the Gators find themselves in with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] entering his second season as head coach. Napier did a fantastic job in the portal last season. He took [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. with him from Louisiana and brought in [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] from Arizona State. All three players were vital parts of the Gators’ 2022 offense.

With over 25 players leaving the program via the portal, it’s understandable that the Orange and Blue are considered to be “losers” of the portal heading into 2023. Here is ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren’s explanation for Florida’s negative distinction:

Florida has lost 26 players to the portal since Nov. 11, including:

  • Former ESPN 300 safety Kamar Wilcoxson
  • Edge rusher Lloyd Summerall III (11 games)
  • Safety Donovan McMillon (20 tackles)
  • Linebackers Chief Borders (12 games) and David Reese (13 games)
  • Running back Nay’Quan Wright (753 career yards, five TDs)
  • Wide receiver Daejon Reynolds (244 yards, two TDs in 2022)

Billy Napier and his staff have made moves, bringing in Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz, Ohio State linebacker Teradja Mitchell and Louisville defensive lineman Caleb Banks.

Despite that and the fact the Gators have a top-10 recruiting class coming in, they still have work to do to replace depth and competition at some key positions on both sides of the ball.

While not as deep as before, the mass exodus isn’t anything Florida fans should worry about. Napier is clearly taking a “quality over quantity” approach in his roster building, and crafting a roster that is willing to buy into his way of doing things is part of it. I wouldn’t expect the roster to be as thin for too much longer, as Napier is placing a strong emphasis on recruiting going forward.

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