Swamp247 Podcast: Discussing Montrell Johnson's injury, the start of fall camp

welcome to another episode of the swamp 247 podcast I'm your host Graham Hall joined once again by my co-host Jacob Runner and it has officially been nine days of fall Camp the Gators have already practiced seven times if youve missed our daily content over at swamp 247 I implore you to go check it out or we list who's been available what we're hearing what we're seeing a lot of VIP content up there as well always a ton of recruiting coverage as well from Blake Alderman don't want to miss out but we're going to talk about maybe the biggest news that has come out of fall Camp here today that is the injury to Montell Johnson junor he practiced for the first time last Wednesday with the Gators but then was noticeably absent and it soon became apparent as to why he suffered a minor as Billy Napier said very minor knee injury that did require it to be scoped out and him to have an arthoscopic knee procedure on it and the Gators are listing him as week to week now he is back on his feet and on the practice field we've seen him out there but he is not participating of course and there really hasn't been a timeline given for when he's going to return Billy Napier made it clear that they are taking things at Johnson's Pace now whether he's going to be available for that season opener in 22 days we record this on Friday early afternoon before Florida's eighth practice of fall Camp a little bit later this afternoon but whether he's going to be available for that Miami game remains to be seen which puts a lot of the onus on those young young Guys Tryon web Katie Daniels Jaden B and Billy Napier he's I think he's a realist in a sense he's not always going to kind of give you what he actually thinks but also not be overly negative and he did say that the injury to Johnson maybe was a little bit of a bright side in a sense that it's going to give these younger guys additional reps throughout fall camp and that it happened when it did early on so he actually has a chance of making an early season return Jacob I think that you are in agreeance with me though that losing your leading rusher for the past two seasons in Montreal Johnson Jr is an absolute significant blow to Florida a team that is looking to have production on the ground and neure historically has been a guy who's going to run the football about 60% of the time but what have you heard regarding Johnson's injury and what does this put on some of the younger guys as well as you know jacobe Jackson Who we've heard some good things about dating back to spring camp yeah well first of all I think it's important to touch on that we don't know exactly when Montell Johnson is going to be back but everybody who we've talked to be it Billy Napier in you know a press conference setting or some conversations that I've had you know behind the scenes a little bit with people who are close to the situation and know what's going on it has been stressed to me multiple times and from multiple people that this is not a big deal this is not expected to hold monr Johnson out for a long period of time if he misses the Miami game that wouldn't be surprising to a lot of the folks who I've t talk to about this but at the same time it also really wouldn't shock them if he's back and able to play for that we've seen him walking around the Florida practice fields already without a limp he doesn't have any visible rehab equipment like a brace uh no wrap on his knee that we can see uh so the signs that monol Johnson is in a decent spot are there I don't know that that's going to translate to him being ready for Miami like I said but it certainly is going to give him a chance as far as having guys behind them I do feel and have felt for a long time that Florida is probably best suited to handle an injury at running back if at no other position they have a lot of confidence in trayon web you mentioned jacobe Jackson he's somebody who I've heard a lot of good things about dating back to the spring for his performances in practices both as a running back and as a returner on special teams uh Jaden ba The Freshman has made a lot of noise uh had a great spring game ever since I think uh has kind of started to emerge as somebody who looks like a very formidable future full service back and in the short term somebody who could probably step in uh and take a part of that workload as long as Montell Johnson is out I would anticipate you know all three of those guys Webb Jackson and B to play some role throughout the 2024 season even when montal Johnson is healthy so this is a good room uh I don't really have a whole bunch of concern especially seeing is this is supposed to be a short-term injury for monell Johnson if it stays that way which as you and I know that doesn't always stay that way and there's always a chance that things take longer than are prescribed and all comes down to how the rehab process goes but if it stays on timeline this is not really something that I'm terribly concerned about it will impact Florida in the Miami game if he's not able to play in it uh Montreal Johnson is obviously Florida's best running back and it's by a pretty wide margin so you know does the unit take a step back yes if Montell Johnson is not there am I concerned about the situation for Florida at the position overall although you know as we look at the season as a whole no I'm not I believe that they're going to get Johnson back relatively soon uh I think it's even possible he plays in the Miami game and if not they do have the depth to be able to stomach that loss for one game yeah you know you get Tryon web back a guy who was able to rush what 100 for 150 yards last year get two touchdowns clearly their most productive back behind Johnson but again just a second-year guy who has some things he needs to continue working on improving as a pass catcher out of the back field pass Pro is certainly I think a question that you wrote about a little bit more over at swamp 247 if the IP subscribers want to check that out that is certainly a question for an offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback dating back to last season that is going to be a factor how those guys Faire there as Billy Napier noted when he was discussing Montreal Johnson's injury on Wednesday he did say that it's more than just about rushing the football it's about pass protection knowing your assignment what to do obviously confidence out there there as well so there is a lot of you know that goes into this position more than just running down the field here and getting those younger guys especially the underclassmen to be ready for that workload and the responsibilities is going to be something we're going to be following throughout fall camp now they weren't the only the running back position wasn't the only one that appeared to be a little bit of a question mark when it came to injuries earlier in the week when we went out there for practice a handful of guys in Florida's secondary were in black non-con jerseys ASA Turner uh jacem Jackson as well the second-year corner who had a pretty impressive spring from everything that we heard Corman mlan we were told he was out there at practice in a black non-con Jersey we did not see him the past couple of days and that's certainly something that people have been watching for seeing how he fares in Fall Camp knowing it's going to be critical for him moving forward to continue improving and verifying the decision for Florida to bring him in but the most I think notable one was that Devin Moore whose Health has really been under the microscope for his first two seasons at Florida graded out as Florida's top defensive player last year even though he only played in seven games and had what onethird the snap count of Jason Marshall Jr there at cornerback you know that's a guy that they can't afford to lose and Jason Marshall last week said fortunately he's healthy he has a chance to be a a first round guy and he needs to stay healthy fortunately according to Billy Napier it doesn't appear to be a significant injury for Deon Moore not a physical injury he's dealing with an abscess tonso jaem Jackson is dealing with a soft tissue lower body injury and he'll be back imminently according to Napier while ASA Turner we saw him out there yesterday at practice for Florida in back in his regular Jersey and Napier said he's just dealing with a little bit of a banged up shoulder so that is I think some fortunate good of injury news for the gator at a position that they can't afford to lose guys because as you and I have written about a lot at swamp 247 the secondary is absolutely a unit that needs to take a step forward this year and clearly they're going to need to stay healthy moving forward also a pair of offensive linemen that Florida young guys are dealing with some injuries in Kaden Jones and Fletcher Westfall is dealing with mononucleosis so you can read all that injury news again over at swamp 247 but outside of Johnson after one week of fall Camp it looks like Florida has avoided any major injuries which I do and this is something I want your take on I do think it speaks to everything we've heard about the strength and conditioning program from Tyler miles the importance of injury recovery building strength throughout the offseason into fall Camp you can't have guys like you know Justice Boone cam Carroll suffering season ending knee injuries in that first week of Camp because this is a team that has I think a small margin of error and the healthier that they're going to be when that season opener arrives that's going to directly play into Florida's competitive chances in my mind you know like you said they're going to need to continue staying healthy and you can't afford any major injuries or setbacks with guys like Johnson so that was one of my big takeaways from the first week of fall camp but certainly the secondary anytime you hear an injury there from one of those guys I think a lot of people are kind of holding their breath and waiting to see how serious it is yeah I mean you touch on a couple important things there one I think just in general uh Florida's Health has been a noticeable benefit this this offseason so far uh you know I just think back to last fall camp we were I think every day reporting on a new player in a nonc cont Jersey a new player who was working out with Florida's rehab group off to the side uh and so there were a host of minor ailments bumps and bruises last fall that obviously have an impact I mean whenever a guy is limited in his availability he can't practice fully so uh it hurts the team it hurts the individual development uh and this preseason we haven't really seen that so just generally speaking I would say that there are signs that be it a strength and conditioning thing or uh you know a rehab thing Billy Napier I found this interesting mentioned that uh Florida's players are not no longer allowed to take their phones into the Rehab Room uh where they go and get treatment they have to leave their phone at the door uh how much that's keeping them healthy I don't know probably not too much but uh does it help a guy focus on his recovery and and put a better effort into the treatment he's giving and paying better attention to the advice viice he's may be receiving sure and so I think that they have clearly taken a step forward in that regard and then as far as the secondary goes yeah uh some guys who are banged up but it doesn't sound too serious Devin Moore who has had a host of health issues over the last couple years has a tonsil problem as you said and it doesn't sound like that's going to be something that limits him I do want to be clear all three of the guys you mentioned Deon Moore jaem Jackson and Ace of Turner were in full participant uh jour and they appeared to be going through drills fully when we last saw them that was Thursday August 8th we're recording this on August 9th uh and so not terribly concerned about that uh I do anticipate Devon Moore being available for the start of the Season despite this tonsil absess tonso um and he is somebody who I think is going to play a really important role I've heard that he is on track to potentially compete to be a starter alongside Jason Marshall and there are a lot of people who have high expectations for him so uh just generally speaking yes Florida is healthy Montell Johnson is the only major guy right now who I think factors into that two deep who was hurt you mentioned Kaden Jones and Fletcher Westfall uh those guys are of course important but not guys who I anticipate factoring into the two deep at least right away so as far as major contributors go uh I would say either healthy or or very close to it yeah I just got to give my unprofessional medical opinion here go ahead and get those tonsils out man I mean that is absolutely something it's a brutal surgery it was a brutal recovery when I had it back in college it's not fun whatsoever maybe this isn't the ideal time for a guy like Devon Moore to be getting his tonsils out but you hear absess tonsil and that just kind of makes me cringe a little bit so hopefully it's something that is not too serious for him like you said he's already back on the practice field but a guy who just seems to not be able to really catch a break when it comes to his injuries not even just the physical ones we know that he's dealt with some some ailments like this before that have hindered his ability to be out there on the field so hopefully this is the last one for him knock on wood because you hate to see a guy like that who clearly has a ton of potential and has performed every time he's been out there on the field that he keeps having these setbacks relatively minor ones fortunately for him but it can't you know it can't impact your ability to be on the field because Florida is clearly going to need him to start at cornerback most likely when the season opens you know I mentioned Justice Boone that is someone who his return to the football field has been highly awaited dating back to last year when he suffered that significant knee injury worked his way back throughout spring camp and now he's competing with Tyreek sap at that F position there a guy that they moved over last year to the F spot and and shuffled around Prince Ley umeni Allen moved him to the Jack linebacker spot when Justice Boon actually initially went down with his injury now you're having some competition there at that edge room with which that kind of you know surprised me a little bit I'll be quite honest and I want to get your take on this but you know I've told people that I thought that the most competitive room at Florida was the wide receiver room and we've also written about which again you can read more of this over at swamp 247 we've written about position battles regarding the offensive line too but Billy Napier made it quite clear on Wednesday that he believes the edge position room is the most competitive one at Florida and you would think that guys like Tyreek zpp and Justice Boon are battling out there for playing time but as Tyreek Sapp said the other night every time one of them is out there they feel good for the other one they're that close as friends this could be a rotation regardless of who ends up starting the first snap for Florida but it's clearly one that Florida feels very high on you also have you know George gums there who has had a great off season relatively new to that position as well a guy who started his career at Northern Illinois on the offensive side of the ball before playing defense last year of course LJ McCrae very highly you know touted and his freshman season is really highly anticipated by not just people in Florida but people who projected him as a five-star player so I was a little bit surprised for to hear Napier say that he thinks that's the most competitive room but also when you look at the roster and you look at how those guys have done behind Boon and sap it does make a lot of sense and it seems like that could be a position of of strength for the Gator this season yeah certainly and actually it doesn't really surprise me hear Napier say that because I think that like running back on offense this is a room that's deep uh it has a lot of talented players who are options to see the field be it as a starter or in some sort of a rotation which is what I'm anticipating uh you mentioned Tyreek Sapp and Justice Boone all throw in George gums is somebody who's made a lot of noise so far in Camp uh and kind of attracted some attention uh Jack purn is somebody who I think can play a little bit of a versatile role on the defensive line potentially even that F position after he had a knee surgery last year uh Florida has been impressed with his speedy recovery and just his dedication to getting back out onto the field and there are others too so uh it doesn't no it doesn't surprise me and I I I think that Florida does have an opportunity to generate more pressure and to be sound in pass coverage from that position that F SP that F spot uh this season which is going to be really important last year Florida did not do a great job in attacking opposing quarterback they ranked number 72 in FBS games in sack percentage which is a number that just won't work they it's part of their problem when it came to generating turnovers uh Billy Napier has talked about having an effective pass rush will go hand inand with being able to have an effective secondary that's going to generate more than just three interceptions which is what it had last year and this F position which like you've said is very talented will play a role in that and I have some confidence in guys like Tyreek Sapp and Justice Boon who who are you know very close and they're competitors but they are pushing each other uh to be better and I think that that's healthy so uh you know maybe this is the best position group like F this is the best spot on the defense at the moment in terms of its depth and talent it also might be the healthiest that the position group has been under Napier just in general over the course of the last three years I look forward to seeing exactly what that translates to uh when it comes to game time because it is at the end of the day a of players who we've already seen before so Florida is counting on progress from guys who we kind of know what they're going to bring to the table as opposed to a whole bunch of new faces who are going to you know shake up the rotation and and bring some new skill sets to the table uh it's a lot of bringing guys back but uh be it guys like justice Boon who are healthy now and now have an opportunity to make an impact again or Tyreek Sapp who's in his fourth year at the college level more experienced stronger uh smarter and and more capable of being able to impact that way uh I think is is intriguing so this is a good room uh I I think that it's good that they have competition um and there are a lot of standout guys there and I I would agree with what you said a second ago I was glad you mentioned it that I don't think it's a matter of this is the starter this is the backup this is the third string guy uh I see a room that is going to rely on rotation uh that will capitalize on its depth and its Talent uh and will'll put a number of guys out there to try and be as effective as possible yeah I could also see Florida rotating at wide receiver especially you know Billy Napier said that if the first three guys that are going to be out there if the season were to start today at wide receiver would be Eugene Wilson uh chamira dek um and khil Jackson but you know you have Elijah Badger there as well Aiden miselle Andy Jean competing as well tank Hawkins TJ Abrams Marcus Burke J quavon frasers I mean I just rattled off nearly 10 guys right there that are making a case to be on the field this year so certainly competition is healthy at Florida we talked last week though about a position and I'm not going to dive too much into it to wrap up this episode but we spoke a little bit last week about the offensive line and how Florida is still evaluating some options and there're still competition there and it's something that Jake Slaughter said last week that there's a lot of competition along the offensive line not just for those starting roles but for guys who are looking to see the field in a rotational capacity even be on there for special teams prove that they can you know be the next guys up in that room but what have you heard just briefly if you want to hear more of Jacob's thoughts and read what he has said and what he's heard go to swamp2 247.com and read his VIP story on the offensive line a really good read very informative but what have you heard just briefly in terms of how that offensive line competition is progressing throughout the first eight practices heading into the eighth practice of fall camp now yeah before I say anything I would definitely encourage anybody listening to this who wants more information to go on over to swamp 247.com uh subscribe which you know we've got a great deal going on right now uh subscribe and go check that out because at the end of the day and we've said this on the podcast before uh we're going to try and inform you guys as much as we can on the podcast but all of our information is on the site whether that's on our message board uh or in stories that is where the most information is going to appear it's a daily thing it's constantly coming out uh and so if you want to be really in the loop that's where you go to do it uh that being said I said this on the podcast last time much to the Chagrin of our listeners and I'm going to reiterate it this time I don't think it's a good thing that there is as much competition as there seems to be along Florida's offensive line and I'll tell you why I have concerns about Florida's right guard position uh Damien George last year was a problem at right tackle his performances were uh routinely subpar and and that's not just my opinion that's you know in the opinion of other uh experts draft analysts type people that's in the opinion of places like PFF that give out game grades for individual players uh gum gums excuse me Damen George was routinely on the wrong side of those greats and he thinks and I would tend to agree that a move to Right Guard is something that will benefit him over the course of this upcoming season I still think that's true but the amount that he would need to improve relative to his performance last year is very significant and I don't think that I've seen nor have I heard anything that has indicated that he's taken that sizable of a leap has there been Improvement is he more comfortable possibly which is good but it's clearly not been enough to convince Florida that that is the clearcut starter at the position and so then it's opened the door for guys like Cameron weights who hasn't really been able to on the field consistently since he joined the gator due to injuries and it's by no fault of his own but it's just the reality uh I also view Cameron weight is a guy who's kind of stuck in between positions we've seen him play tackle at times we've seen him play guard at times I don't know that Florida's really figured out where it wants him to stick uh we were just at practice on Thursday and he played both positions again so he seems to still be preparing for either a swing roll as Florida's sixth offensive lineman or potentially to take over one of the two spots on the right side be it Geor spot at guard or Brandon kencha Dixon's spot at tackle and one thing I said when Florida took a commitment from kenot Dixon this was way way back in the winter was I was concerned and remain concerned that a guy who was good in the Mountain West would struggle potentially with the game speed and being able to uh have the footwork and the strength to contend with SEC caliber players it is a totally different ball game and again again just to reiterate that is not to say that Brandon Kena Dixon is not good or maybe even very good but he clearly has not proven it yet because we are still seeing this rotation on Florida's right side of the line Cameron weights like I said is getting reps at the position uh and nobody has really locked it down so uh there's always two ways to look at competition I would say something kind of a similar sentiment with wide receiver uh you know it's on one hand competition is a good thing at the F position is a great example I think Florida's F position is stacked talent and the fact that there's competition there really speaks to that but then there are other positions where competition is not such a good thing and that's offensive line to me and maybe even wide receiver you know I think that it's great again that guys like uh you know tank Hawkins and Andy Jean and Aiden miselle are starting to emerge but Florida went into the transfer portal and scooped out a guy like Elijah Badger who's a senior with over a thousand yards of receiving in a very poor offensive situation at Arizona State over the last two years the guy has shown himself as a talented player and we haven't really seen him be able to lock down a spot yet so is it competition as a byproduct of underwhelming performances or is it a competition as a byproduct of a lot of talent and so that's where my biggest question is as we get into the you know second third of fall Florida's fall Camp they have their first scrimmage a day after you and I are recording this and I'm sure we're going to talk about this on the next episode of our podcast but uh those are the questions I have uh whether or not these competitions are a healthy thing or there are warning signs that there could be some struggle ahead for a couple players who just haven't done enough to be able to lock down a spot yet yeah it's certainly something we're going to continue to monitor throughout fall Camp because it is critical for Florida's success this season just knowing that Graham Merz took more than 30 sacks last year and that pocket didn't give him enough time a lot of the a lot of the time to be able to throw down field and creating more explosive passes is certainly going to be a key for this Florida offense so we'll be out there at practice in a couple of hours here in the Florida Sun so stay tuned to swamp 247 for constant updates we'll also be talking to a handful of players I believe six players today regarding their thoughts on the start of fall camp and then also this weekend make sure you are plugged in and stay tuned to swamp 247 because Florida will be holding its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday afternoon we'll have updates from that afterwards most likely some VIP notes for subscribers to check out and we'll be back next week for another episode here of the swamp 247 podcast but that's going to do it for us today for Jacob Runner I'm Graham Hall we'll see you next time