Tag: Montrell Johnson

Gators make big improvement in USA TODAY Sports’ latest re-rank

The Florida Gators make a big improvement in USA TODAY’s latest re-rank of all FBS college football teams after Week 11 of the CFB season.

The Florida Gators rose 11 spots in USA TODAY Sports’s latest re-rank of all FBS college football teams. They come in at No. 35, over 50 spots ahead of this week’s opponent, Vanderbilt. They are also 12 spots behind their in-state rival, Florida State.

The Gators had an up-and-down first half of the season. They came out of the gate swinging with an upset win over the defending Pac-12 champion Utah Utes in [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first game as Florida’s head coach. They went from unranked to No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll after the victory.

They then lost to Kentucky and barely got a win over in-state rival USF, leaving them out of the top 25 entirely. Their close loss to Tennessee paired with their win over Eastern Washington caused expectations to stabilize.

Since their victory over Eastern Washington, the Gators have found their form. Despite losing to LSU and Georgia, the Gators have managed to find their offensive identity. They’re rushing attack is lethal with running backs [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] emerging as a two-headed monster, not to mention [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]’s effectiveness on designed quarterback runs. The defense has also improved and has not allowed a touchdown in six quarters.

Florida’s 6-4 record has confirmed their bowl eligibility. They have an opportunity to finish 8-4 in Napier’s first season in charge. If they are going to finish 8-4, they’ll need to do so on the road, with last week’s win over South Carolina serving as the final home game of the season.

The Gators’ next game will be against Vanderbilt. That game will take place in Nashville this Saturday with kickoff scheduled for noon EST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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These 4 Gators to serve as team captains for USF game

Here are the four Gators who will serve as team captains against the South Florida Bulls.

Florida football is getting geared up for its Week 3 date with the South Florida Bulls in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this Saturday and ahead of the in-state matchup, head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has released his four team captains for the upcoming game.

Outside linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. was among those picked to lead the team against USF. The highly-heralded hybrid linebacker has been a leader on and off the field for the Gators, with his 12 tackles so far good enough for fourth-best on the team — which also included a half-tackle for a loss. The redshirt junior also leads the team in quarterback hits, with three.

Offensive tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] also got the call due to his diligence on the offensive line. The redshirt junior has kept quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] protected while also helping to open seams for the running game. The offensive line has allowed just one sack so far while helping the ground game earn 423 rushing yards.

Running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], a transfer during the offseason who followed Napier from the Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns, gets the nod as a sophomore thanks to his team-leading 137 rushing yards on 19 carries along with a touchdown. The sophomore has been the focal point of a Cerberus-like backfield for the Gators and is well-acclimated with the new head coach’s system.

Finally, there is punter [autotag]Jeremy Crawshaw[/autotag], who is in his second year as the Gators’ primary punter. The sophomore from Australia pinned his opponent inside their own 20-yard line on three of five attempts last week while averaging 47.4 yards per punt. He has also stood out as a vocal leader on the special teams squad.

Florida kicks off its game against USF at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, with the game broadcast on the SEC Network and head on the Gators Radio Network.

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2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

Is it finally Nay’Quan Wright’s time to shine at Florida or will the Louisiana transfer who followed his coach win out the starting running back job?

The quarterback controversy in Gainesville during the 2021 season may have overshadowed how badly the running back room was handled, but there’s hope [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and position coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] will provide the right template for success on the ground in their first season at Florida.

Unfortunately, the team lost its top two running backs from a year ago to the NFL. [autotag]Dameon Pierce[/autotag], who didn’t hit the 10-carry mark in a game until after [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] was fired, now looks like a legitimate part of the Houston Texans‘ backfield, and [autotag]Malik Davis[/autotag] recently rushed for 51 yards on eight carries in a preseason game for the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. Losing both to the pros left just [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] on the roster with a decent amount of SEC experience under his belt.

Napier brought over one of his players, [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], from Louisiana through the transfer portal and there’s still former five-star [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] to consider. All three should see carries throughout the season, and there’s even a chance [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] sees some action as a true freshman.

In 2021, Napier’s Louisiana team scored 34 of its 53 offensive touchdowns on the ground and three backs broke the 500-yard mark — two eclipsing 800 yards. A similar mix could be in store for his first year at Florida, and at least Johnson has played in Napier’s system before.

Here’s a look at all eight running backs listed on the 2022 Florida Gators’ fall roster.

See also:

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

This Gator made CBS Sports’ 2022 Preseason All-America team

Florida’s best player heading into the 2022 season might be someone who wasn’t even on the team in 2021.

The SEC dominates most preseason All-American rosters, but the Florida Gators aren’t exactly stocked with the talent they’re used to having. Just one Gator made the CBS Sports 2022 Preseason All-America second team, and it’s an offensive lineman who wasn’t even in Gainesville a year ago, Louisiana transfer [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag].

Torrence was one of three Ragin’ Cajuns that followed [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to Florida. He joined [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] as the newest additions to the Gators and has been considered a team leader since arriving. A four-year player, Torrence has come to the SEC to prove himself before entering his name into the draft pool and hopes to rack up as many accolades as he can. A preseason second-team nod is a good start, and there’s plenty of room to surprise people.

Despite his high ratings in the transfer portal and obvious interest from many Power Five programs, many still consider Torrence an underrated player. He allowed just three pressures last season in over 320 passing plays, so the numbers are there but playing in the Group of Five leaves questions for many at the next level.

The SEC doesn’t have that problem. Look no further than the makeup of the CBS Sports All-America teams for confirmation. Eighteen of 54 players across both rosters are on an SEC program. Surprisingly, not a single one of the five first-team offensive linemen hail from the conference. A big year on the ground from Florida/Torrence could change that.

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Florida among teams most likely to rebound in 2022 season, per ESPN

The Gators have a new head coach and are ready to bounce back from what was a pretty disastrous 2021. What chances does ESPN give UF to improve?

The Florida Gators were one of 13 Division I college football teams that had their average points per game decrease by more than 10 in 2021, but ESPN thinks UF is primed to bounce back under first-year head coach Billy Napier.

In a breakdown of teams likely to improve in 2022, ESPN’s Bill Connelly has the Gators improving by 2.9 points per game (11.0 to 13.9) and finishing 23rd overall in SP+ with a 7-5 record. That’s a far cry from the Gators’ monstrous average of 23.9 points per game in 2020, when the team ranked sixth in SP+.

But improvement takes time, especially when Dan Mullen left Napier a rather empty talent cupboard. Connelly notes the Gators still have plenty of players brimming with potential that could make things go right.

As is always the case when a coach takes over a job in which their predecessor was fired, there are potential stumbling blocks in Gainesville. The skill corps is very thin outside of receiver Justin Shorter and transfers [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] (Louisiana) and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] (Arizona State), and the defense wasn’t nearly disruptive enough last fall. But quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] has flashed immense potential, key defenders [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] (linebacker) and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] (cornerback) return from injury, and the schedule includes only a couple of truly likely losses (vs. Georgia, at Texas A&M).

As it stands, the Gators have a 69% chance of improving their record, and Richardson reaching his full potential (or maybe even just some of it) would increase that number by a lot.

Florida isn’t expected to bounce back nearly as strongly as some other programs, such as USC, but the Gators should be better than last year.

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What will it take for Florida to be national title contenders in 2022?

ESPN looked at what 20 major college football teams need to do to compete for a national championship, and let’s just say there are a lot of conditions that need to be met.

Heading into the first year of the Billy Napier era there aren’t many who are expecting the Florida Gators to compete for a national championship. The folks at ESPN like to push the boundaries of reality though and laid out what exactly needs to be done for Napier to claim glory in year one.

For starters, ESPN groups the teams by how many “ifs” it would take for them to be national title contenders. Florida is a four-If team and the first thing that has to go right is sophomore [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] finding success. The upside is high but Napier needs to find some consistency from his young quarterback.

As a part-timer last season, Richardson produced passes of 75, 41, 38, 36, 36, 33 and 27 and rushes of 80, 73, 26 and 25. He’s got a big arm, and he is much faster than a 240-pounder has any right to be …

If Billy Napier coaxes steadier play from the sophomore, Florida goes from also-ran to contender very quickly. (“Quickly” is a must — Florida plays Utah, Kentucky and Tennessee in September.)

The next item on the list that would make Florida a contender is “if a thin skill corps makes plays.” When Dan Mullen left and Napier came in, the Gators lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal and also some to the draft.

Napier brought in running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], who tore up the Sun Belt Conference as a freshman under his coaching at ULL. He also brought in [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] to help out [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] at receiver, but there aren’t too many proven names behind those guys. ESPN points to [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] as a potential difference maker this season.

There’s also plenty of youth on the defensive side of the ball. [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. returning helped bolster the front seven, but ESPN says that unit will need to be much better than expected for Florida to contend.

Four leading returning defensive linemen are all sophomores, and while veteran Brenton Cox Jr. is excellent, sophomores might carry most of the upside at linebacker too. That’s not typically part of a title recipe.

Finally, if all of those other pieces come together, Florida needs its new coaching staff to get creative. The defense needs to be better than good in this dream scenario where the Gators win it all, and that requires some ingenuity from co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag]. Coach Chaos (Spencer) has the nickname to match, but there needs to be true havoc on the field.

The Gators ranked 98th in havoc rate* last season. Defensive co-coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer have never worked together, but they need to very quickly craft a lot more disruption than Florida has produced of late.

With all that said, competing for an SEC East title might be enough for Billy Napier’s first year to be considered a success. Only a few of those “ifs” need to come true for that to happen, and it feels mildly attainable after going through hoops to make Florida look like national contenders

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How long does ESPN think it will take Billy Napier to find success?

It might be a little bit longer than most Gator fans would like until UF wins the SEC East again, but Billy Napier has a ton of talent at Florida to work with.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly previewed the SEC East on Monday, and he had quite a bit to say about the Florida Gators, as one may expect.

Connelly tackled several big questions surrounding the top programs in the conference, and one of them was how long Gator Nation could expect it to take for Billy Napier to succeed in Gainesville? The answer isn’t so simple, but he’s expecting it to take a bit longer than most that fill the Swamp on Saturdays would like to hear.

“The Gators could indeed be positioned to make a leap next year. This year? Hard to say,” Connely said.

Florida’s offense might actually be in a better spot right now than it was last year at this time, but the defense has much to prove. Eight of the twelve returning players on defense were freshmen last year, and the youth showed on the field. Connelly pointed to [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] returning as difference makers for this year, but he also said that the sophomores need to take a big leap for the team to be competitive against the conference’s best.

If [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and Co. can shake off the Todd Grantham funk quickly enough, Florida could impress quicker than expected. Offensively, the line is in better shape than it was last year. Napier brought in [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] from Louisiana to help lead that front and has [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] to lead the running backs room. Of course, [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] has the biggest ceiling of anyone on the team, and Napier’s job is to help him control his raw talent and turn it into something consistent. If Richardson gets it together, Florida should be able to put up some gaudy numbers.

Napier lost three of his first four with ULL, but the Ragin’ Cajuns won six of the next eight and wound up winning the Sun Belt West title that season. Florida’s got far more talent to work with, but the SEC East isn’t exactly a walk in the park.

Connelly’s SP+ projections have Florida finishing third in the East this year, ahead of Kentucky and behind Tennessee.

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This Florida RB could be one of the most impactful transfers in nation

Check out where Montrell Johnson ranks among the other running backs that transferred this offseason.

Thousands of student-athletes hit the transfer portal this offseason but only a handful of them will be hailed as the most impactful in the class once the season ends. The folks at On3 are ranking the top 10 transfers at each position this year, and Florida’s [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] pops at No. 7 on the running backs list.

It makes to see Johnson on the list. He’s stepping into a favorable position at Florida and is following his head coach from last year. The Gators lost both of their top two running backs last, so Johnson is going to be Billy Napier’s go-to guy early in the year if familiarity is something he leans on. He finished 2021 with more yards and touchdowns than the rest of the running backs’ combined career totals.

Montrell Johnson rushed for 838 yards and a team-leading 12 TDs in earning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors last season. He shared time with the Ragin’ Cajuns (Louisiana had three rushers with at least 600 yards in 2021) and will do so again with Florida … The hope is Johnson, [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] and holdover [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag], a former five-star prospect who began his career at Miami, can team with QB [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] to give the Gators a potent rushing attack.

Two more SEC newcomers made the list ahead of Johnson. Ole Miss’ Zach Evans, who transferred from TCU, is No. 3, and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs, who came from Georgia Tech, is at No. 1. It will be interesting to see where these three backs end up once the season is finished. Many expect Johnson to break out and move up a few spots.

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Florida RB transfer Demarkcus Bowman commits to UCF

It didn’t work out for Demarkcus Bowman in Gainesville, but maybe Orlando will be the right fit.

Less than a week after UCF lost its top recruit in the class of 2023 to Florida, the Knights landed former Gators running back [autotag]Demarkcus Bowman[/autotag] through the transfer portal.

Coming out of high school, Bowman was a five-star recruit and considered among the top 3 running backs in his class by 247Sports. He ranks No. 391 all-time on 247Sports’ list with a near-perfect rating of .9909. However, a high rating didn’t translate to immediate success, and Bowman left Clemson in October of his freshman year in 2020. It took him just two days to decide on Florida at that point, one day less than he spent in the portal this time around.

Bowman’s departure from Florida on June 24 came as a bit of a surprise after he impressed in spring practices, but a crowded running backs room was presumed to be the reason. Lousiana transfer [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] already knows Napier’s scheme, [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] is the only returning back on the depth chart with legitimate in-game experience and Lorenzon Lingard is also a former five-star that’s been impressive. If that’s not crowded enough, freshman Trevor Etienne was behind him hungry for any playing time.

For a guy that could be a star, it’s not the ideal situation. So, he headed a few hours south to the team that beat Florida last year in the Gasparilla Bowl. The only problem is that he will have to sit out the 2022 season with this being his second transfer and well past the deadline for players to enter the portal. A waiver could clear that issue though, and the Knights have had three players regain eligibility over the past two years.

It may benefit Bowman to wait, though. Isaiah Bowser and Johnny Richardson each netted over 700 rushing yards last season, and the duo is set to return for another run in Orlando. Playing alongside Richardson was one of the catalysts for Bowman’s transfer to UCF, according to 247Sports.

Sitting out until 2023 would give Bowman time to learn the playbook and move up the depth chart with only Richardson to compete with, assuming he returns for his senior year. Behind those guys, UCF has a fleet of former three stars that are fighting for some playing time.

Bowman will be 22 in 2023, though. The likelihood of him staying another year to meet up against his former club when the UF-UCF series begins in 2024 is low. However, he should be a part of the Knights’ first season as a member of the Big 12.

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Report: Florida losing former 5-star RB to transfer portal

Running back Demarkcus Bowman is in the transfer portal after just one year at Florida.

After Billy Napier cut three players from the program earlier in the week, the Florida Gators lost another scholarship player on Friday. Running back [autotag]Demarkcus Bowman[/autotag], a former five-star recruit out of high school, has entered his name into the transfer portal, according to On3.

Bowman came to Gainesville in 2020 after playing his freshman year at the Clemson Tigers. That makes this his second transfer, which means he will be required to sit out for a year before playing with a new team. That might not be so different than what he would be doing at Florida, though, with [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] in UF’s running backs room.

Entering the portal doesn’t guarantee Bowman’s departure, but Florida is still over the scholarship limit and the room is too crowded for a talent that was once considered among the top 20 recruits in the nation. Bowman’s far from a bust at this point. He still possesses good speed and impressed many during spring practices. He ran the ball 14 times for 81 yards in 2021 across appearances in five games.

Florida should be okay without Bowman given the depth in the room. It also opens the door for Etienne to pick up some carries as a freshman, especially if injuries come into play. Both of last year’s starting backs, [autotag]Dameon Pierce[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Davis[/autotag], are gone and Napier likes to run the ball.

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