Tag: Montrell Johnson

Here’s where Florida’s incoming transfers stand, per 247Sports

The Top247 transfer rankings have been finalized and there are five incoming Gators on the list.

It’s no secret that Florida has seen a decent amount of movement through the transfer portal this offseason, and there’s reason to be excited about the new names and faces coming to Gainesville next season.

247Sports finalized its Top247 college football transfer portal player rankings, and five incoming Gators made the cut. Offensive guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] leads the way at No. 33 overall and is joined by fellow Louisiana-Lafayette offensive line transfer [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag] at No. 41.

Torrence was a three-year starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] decided that his skill set fit the needs of his new team. Playing his final year in the Southeastern Conference should help his draft stock rise, assuming he takes the step forward he’s expected to. Waites only played one year at ULL, but Florida needed offensive linemen and he’s got the size (6-foot-8-inches, 358-pounds) to compete at the highest level in college football.

Next up is former Georgia cornerback [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] at No. 49 on the list. Kimber was targeted by cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] after playing just three games in two years at UGA due to a shoulder injury that limited him for most of 2021. He likely would have seen plenty of playing time with the Bulldogs this season had he stayed, but now he’ll compete for a starting job at Florida instead.

[autotag]Montrell Jonhson[/autotag], the third Lousiana transfer to make the cut, is ranked No. 70 among transfers and has a shot to be a major contributor in his first season with the Gators. He knows Napier’s playbook and was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2021 after rushing for 838 yards on 162 attempts (5.17 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns.

Finally, there’s the newest addition to the team, Arizona State transfer [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] at No. 155 on the list. He was one of the best receivers in the Pac-12 last season and gives the Gators some depth at a position where they don’t have much experience from returning players to rely on.

Of course, Florida did lose its share of Top247 talent as well. The Gators lost linebacker [autotag]Mohamoud Diabate[/autotag] (No. 42) to Utah, receiver [autotag]Jacob Copeland[/autotag] (No. 60) to Maryland, linebacker [autotag]Ty’Ron Hopper[/autotag] (No. 86) to Missouri, EDGE [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] (No. 88) to [autotag]Michigan State [/autotag]and tight end [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] (No. 135) to UCF.

Quarterback [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] is the only incoming transfer not ranked by 247Sports. [autotag]Emory Jones[/autotag],[autotag] Carlos Del Rio-Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Gerald Mincey[/autotag] comprise the list of outgoing players that failed to make the Top247.

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Two more 2022 signees arrive at UF for summer semester

New faces are popping up in Gainesville as the summer semesters begin. Welcome to the Swamp, Trevor Etienne and David Conner!

A trio of early enrollees, [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris McClellan[/autotag], joined the Gators over the spring, but more members of the class of 2022 are making their way to the Swamp. Running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] both arrived on campus on Sunday and are ready to take part in the Summer A semester at Florida, according to 247Sports.

Etienne, a four-star running back out of Louisiana, was one of the rare offensive standouts in the class of 2022 for Florida and has the family name to warrant lofty expectations as a Gator. [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] and [autotag]Demarckus Bowman[/autotag] have held down the running backs room over spring, but now Etienne and a returning [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] enter the mix.

It’ll take Etienne some time to learn the playbook but look for him to contribute early on as he was one of the first players [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] sought out after taking over in Gainesville and the No. 188 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite.

Conner, a three-star tackle out of Deerfield Beach, Florida, is one of the few commitments that stayed with the Gators through the coaching change. Offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] think his frame and athleticism project well for an offensive tackle in the Southeastern Conference. It’ll likely take a few years of development to see him on the line every day, but Conner is setting himself up for success.

Getting to campus a bit earlier gives Conner more time to get used to his new environment and it sounds like he’ll be rooming with Florida’s running back of the future. Getting a lineman and a running back comfortable with each other early is a good sign for the team’s future chemistry.

The other members of the class of 2022 will arrive around May 22 and get settled in for the summer. The new-look Gators are finally starting to take shape and the Napier era is in full swing with a new crop of talent making their way to campus.

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Florida announces rosters for Orange and Blue game

Who are Gators fans cheering for Team Orange or Team Blue? Florida’s spring game is this Thursday night.

Florida’s first football game under new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is finally here. The Orange and Blue Game is Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+. Ahead of the game, the Gators unveiled their rosters for the spring game on Wednesday.

The rosters consist of 52 and 48 players, respectively, even though outside linebacker [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag], running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Jordan Young[/autotag] are expected to play for both teams. Napier and Florida also divided up its on-the-field coaching staff and off-the-field analysts and staffers. Women’s basketball coach [autotag]Kelly Rae Finley[/autotag] and men’s basketball coach [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] will serve as the honorary captains for the Orange and Blue teams.

Napier has elected to put the first-team offense and defense on opposite teams. The first-team defense will be on Orange while the first-team offense will be on Blue. Orange’s defense will be highlighted by safety [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]. Blue’s offense will be led by quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] and offensive linemen [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag].

It’s an exciting time for Florida fans because it’s their first chance to see Napier in charge and the program’s first spring football game in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is a look at the rosters for both teams:

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Billy Napier not concerned about quarterback inconsistency so far

Florida head coach Billy Napier doesn’t seem too overly concerned about the quarterbacks inconsistency so far this spring.

The way Florida has conducted spring practices has been a breath of fresh air as the team has allowed the media to observe portions of practices after not allowing any access over the past couple of seasons. One concern the media has developed about Florida is the inconsistency at quarterback.

The media has observed quarterbacks [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] make some brilliant plays but have also watched them miss some easy throws and reads so far this spring. They asked Napier about his level of concern with his quarterbacks after the team’s second scrimmage this spring and he didn’t seem overly concerned and pointed to other positions around the quarterbacks.

“Overall, I didn’t think it was bad,” Napier said of the passing game in the second scrimmage. “Sometimes we evaluate the quarterback and if the ball’s moving and we’re scoring we think the quarterback’s doing great. But in reality a lot of times, quarterback play is dependent on the players around him.”

This makes sense considering the question marks about the Gators receiving corps. They can rely on [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag] and [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] but need other receivers to emerge.

Napier said they need other wideouts to step up, so they can have reliable depth. He added that this applies to the rest of the team, too.

“I think the team as a whole lacks depth,” he said. “We need more players as a whole that do their job consistently and play winning football. The receiver position is much like every position on the team. We have a good group of ones and a couple twos we can put in the game, but after that we have to prove more.”

However, the running back group has been a bright spot for the Gators and Napier. Louisana transfer [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] have had a strong spring. The offensive line is now starting to win up front more than they did earlier this spring.

Life should become much easier for the quarterback if Florida can find some more playmakers at receiver.

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Here’s what CBS Sports thinks Florida football’s biggest issue is

Barrett Sallee gives his take on what the Gators should be focusing on heading into fall.

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee released his list of one question each SEC team must answer during spring practice ahead of the 2022 college football season on Tuesday. He believes Florida needs to figure out who it will rely on in the running game to help accelerate the development of quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] after [autotag]Dameon Pierce[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Davis[/autotag] graduated while [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag] is recovering from a knee injury he suffered late last season. Here is what Sallee had to say.

Who will pound the rock? It’d be easy to say that the development of quarterback Anthony Richardson is the most-pressing question, but that development will accelerate if first-year coach Billy Napier can figure out his running back situation. Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis are gone, and junior Nay’Quan Wright won’t participate in the spring while he recovers from a knee injury suffered late last season.

Napier will have to rely on multiple players who have transferred into the program over the last few years to bridge the gap — [autotag]Lorenzo Lingard[/autotag] (Miami), [autotag]Demarkcus Bowman[/autotag] (Clemson) and [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] (Louisiana). Napier has used multiple running backs in key situations in the past, so this spring is a golden opportunity to build the depth that the Gators will need to be competitive in 2022.

Before diving in further, I’d like to applaud Sallee for not centering his question around a mythical Gators quarterback competition like other national media members have this offseason. Richardson is the starter in Florida’s season-opener versus Utah, barring a massive surprise.

This is definitely one of the biggest questions coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and staff have to answer this spring, besides who will be Richardson’s go-to receiver this spring.

It’ll be a difficult task to bridge the gap between last year’s unit and this year’s, but this team’s running back room has much more upside because of former five-stars Bowman and Lingard then add in the addition of Johnson who just had a strong season with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Bowman should emerge from the spring as the designated starter with Johnson and Wright following suit. Lingard has struggled to see the field since transferring to Florida and needs to have a strong spring to see snaps this fall.

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Billy Napier lands another ULL transfer for Florida

One of Billy Napier’s best offensive players last season is transferring to Florida for a reunion.

After Billy Napier took the head coaching job at Florida, nearly every Louisiana player that entered the transfer portal was linked to the Gators. On Friday, running back Montrell Johnson became the second Ragin’ Cajun to follow his old coach to the Swamp.

Having Johnson and offensive tackle Kamryn Waites on the team for spring practice should help establish Napier’s game plan quickly. Johnson will be joining a running back room with two former five-star recruits, Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman. Nay’Quan Wright, the only Florida running back with a decent amount of snaps played, is expected to miss spring as he recovers from an injury, but a not-so-cryptic post on social media following Johnson’s announcement may indicate his intention to enter the transfer portal.

In addition to Napier, Johnson has already played under running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns in carries last season with 162 for 838 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Sun Belt Conference recognized as him the Freshman of the Year.

Johnson only started one game in 2021 with redshirt sophomore Chris Smith in front of him as the starter. Florida lost both of its top running backs to the NFL draft already, and Johnson knows what Napier is looking for better than the Gators’ other running backs. Still, it’s a deep room that just added four-star 2022 recruit Trevor Etienne. Napier should have his pick of talented backs to rotate in and out next season.

Johnson was a three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He was ranked the No. 60 overall running back in the country on the 247Sports Composite.

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