How Montrell Johnson Jr.’s injury impacts Florida’s RB room

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators will be without starter Montrell Johnson Jr . as they go through fall training camp, and potentially longer. The senior running back is out for at least a few weeks after sustaining a knee injury in practice, Gators Online has learned .

Johnson had a routine arthroscopic procedure to clean up his knee. The good news is it’s a minor injury that won’t keep him out for an extended period of time. He’s considered as week to week, according to program sources, and there’s no definitive timeline on his return.

Nonetheless, the Gators now have to move forward in fall camp without their RB1 and must prepare for the possibility that he won’t be available for Week 1 against Miami. Over the course of this month, the staff will figure out what it has to work with at the position.

The next man up at running back will be sophomore Treyaun Webb . We reported back on New Year’s Eve that Webb was viewed inside the program as a breakout player for 2024 . He built on his freshman campaign with a strong offseason, earning the No. 5 jersey and working as the second-string running back in the spring.

Now Webb will take reps with the starting offense during training camp with Johnson sidelined. Webb was already expected to have a bigger role this fall after he rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries last year and former UF tailback Trevor Etienne transferred to Georgia. Johnson expects big things from Webb at Florida.

“Treyaun Webb is going to be great for us,” Johnson said last season. “Y’all gotta get to know him personally, he’s a character. He’s doing great in the offense. He actually surprised me with how he gets the information and how well he retains the information. He had a 4.0 (GPA) in high school.”

RB rotation without Montrell Johnson Jr.

The Gators have a pair of true freshmen in Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels , both of whom enrolled early and are chomping at the bit to contribute. Johnson’s injury should result in more opportunities for Baugh and Daniels to show the coaches what they can do in fall camp.

“Man, those guys, they’re not freshmen. For real. It feels like they were there before,” Johnson said of Baugh and Daniels. “They’re like a sponge. Everything I tell them, they take it and run with it. They look up to me to learn from and, I’ve been that guy that they look up to.”

Don’t count out redshirt junior Ja’Kobi Jackson in the rotation either. Multiple sources said he surprised the staff with his play this spring and emerged as a viable option. Jackson made plays in the scrimmages and rushed for 60 yards on just five carries in the Orange & Blue Game.

In Florida’s first few practices without Johnson, Jackson will likely work as the backup running back behind Webb. However, as training camp progresses, expect both Baugh and Daniels to get some looks with the No. 2 offense, and Baugh could even receive reps with the starters.

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