Florida Gators Football LATEST | Montrell Johnson Injury Update, QB DJ Lagway's Role in Gainesville

Intro - Montrell Johnson Injury joined Now by Zach alerie of gators online and it has been a newsy weekend in Gainesville and not in in all the good ways it's one of those you hate to see it kind of preseason camp situations where you got an injury before anybody plays a game and in this case it's Montreal Johnson Florida starting running back yeah it's it's unfortunate to see this uh news they haven't even really started tackling yet like that and uh this guy that came back for his senior season has led Florida ring the past two years is now going to miss fall camp now the bright side is that it's not a a major injury and he's going to be able to play for the Gators this season and maybe early on in the season but he's going to miss fall camp at least for the staff now they go into these next set of practices knowing they they got to figure out what they have at the running back spot behind him well and and that's the interesting thing so it's a it's a knee he had an arthoscopic operation to clean it up so they're they're not expecting to lose in first season but they don't exactly know whether they're going to have him for the Miami game so if let's say Montell can't go in the Miami game who would you suspect winds up getting those reps in the Miami game well I think the next guy up is trayon web you know he's the the true freshman that played last year as a freshman now back as a sophomore a guy that was already expected to have a larger role this season because of the departure of Trevor etn to Georgia now I think that they go through fall camp now he's going to be the guy guy going through the starting reps with the first team offense now will they get some other guys in there to get some experience yes including the true freshman um but but honestly I think one guy that's gonna be in that rotation Andy that a lot of people maybe aren't talking about or don't expect is jacobe Jackson the Joo transfer who red shirted last year uh was a guy that I wasn't really expecting much from in the spring and ended up surprising the staff I think surprising a lot of us with how productive he was in the scrimmages and then in the spring game so he might be you know second or third in in that rotation but the guy next up is Tron web out of Doom well so the people who watch the spring game because everybody's gonna ask this because Jaden ball had a big spring game the The Freshman uh what would he have to do to to get on the field at this point is that is it is it a pass Pro thing for those young guys yeah and I I think it's obviously learning The Playbook I think for him getting the weight that he needs to be at that's something that he's been working on um not that it's an issue or anything but just to be consistently where he wants to be uh but with any true freshman uh or young guy at that position to ask them to pass protect to pick up all the different responsibilities that come with pass protection to know the Playbook uh that's a lot to put on a Young Guy's plate now the good thing for Jen B as well as KD Daniels is both of those guys enrolled early but jayen B is a guy who is going to play as a freshman and make an impact I mean he he's going to be that probably that first guy off the bench it's just you know how much can they put on his plate that first game against Miami if Montreal Johnson can't play I think because of Tryon Webb having a year under his belt kind of getting the starting reps I at least I expect in Fall Camp he's going to be the guy that they ke on but as the season goes on you're going to see number 13 carry the ball and carry the ball more more often so another true freshman in the offense that that I'm curious about because Billy Napier addressed this at SEC media days and it was interesting hearing him talk about DJ lagway because obviously he's DJ Lagway's Role getting tons of questions this was the star sign in last year's class no one is expecting DJ lagway to not to to start over Graham Merz everybody you know knows that Graham Merz is qb1 at Florida but the way Billy Napier described that situation and wanting to make make sure that DJ lagway does get some snaps and and you have your backup ready it almost sound a little like the Chris leak Tim TBO Dynamic back in 2006 where there was definitely a role for the Freshman when he got in there yeah you know there's going to be a role I I think one thing that we got to be honest about Andy which is different now in this day and age in the nil era is just the amount of money that is being paid to DJ lagway just to be honest with you like yeah that much that he's been brought here for to have him sit on the bench um being the type of weapon that he is it doesn't do Florida any good and I I think that just for that reason alone as well as for his future development setting the Gators up for success in 2025 as well as having them making an impact this season I think there's so many reasons why you want to play DJ lagway here's another reason why when cruits come to the swamp and see all these games that they got on their slate they want to meet with DJ lagway uh and that's no disrespect to Graham Merz but DJ lagway is going to be the guy that they would be playing with be there yeah so there's so many reasons why you want to get DJ in the game for his experience for the amount of money that you're paying him fans want to see him recruits want to see him and and most importantly number one on that list if he can make the Gators better and make an impact they're going to put him in the game and I think they will they've got packages planned for him it's it's going to be something that keeps defensive coordinators on their toes it's not gonna in one thing that won't be like the TBO Dynamic is it's not like he's just gonna come in there and run at least when TBO was a true freshman you knew what he was gonna do you don't know they threw it with him in the national title game and Ohio say is like what yeah what is thiser in the jump pass that was you know not a pretty jump pass um t he did shout out to Tate uh but DJ's gonna throw a lot of Pretty balls and he's a dual threat guy that is going to be something that Graham can't provide so um all those reasons I just went into is why you're going to see him on the field it it's interesting because I hadn't thought about it this way but it kind of reminds me of before the NFL instituted the rookie salary scale because you know now if you pick a quarterback even in the you know early first round there's still players on your team that make more than that quarterback but back in the day if you picked a quarterback number one like he walked in the building as the highest paid player on the team and you had no choice like if you sat him it was just constant questions of course and you're right because that's DJ lagway on this team 100% now are there rookie quarterbacks that get drafted uh top five and they're getting paid a lot of money and don't play their first year yes Dynamic yeah the dynamic is a little bit different now now but I just again they they there's so much riding on DJ lagway he is the most hype recruit for Florida since Tim TBO and you're gonna see him on the field now again if he's not uh earning it and he's not somebody that can make a difference they're not just going to throw him out there and they're not going to force it because every time you take him off uh you put him in you're taking Graham Merz off the field so it's it's got to make sense uh but I think it will for Florida and for DJ so you and Nick delor have been covering this you know for the past Position Battles couple weeks what positions are still kind of up for grabs in preseason camp man that's a good question because they actually have a lot um yeah you know I I think that if you go to let's start on defense because that's where that's the most important part side of the ball I think at at Mike linebacker where you lost Scooby Williams you got pup Howard and Derek or Derek Wingo that are going to be competing so they could go from a Scooby to a pup which is just I love it perfect it's that's I mean I think it's Destin uh crappy be even better and that's another guy that they brought in from the portal that you know they need help tackling Andy and pup Howard I've said this stat before which I think is a big deal he led South Carolina in tackling as a true freshman per PFF and he played in all 13 games so it wasn't like these were just a few snaps that got him an 88 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus so he's a guy that should make a difference but again he's still got to beat out a guy and Derek Wingo has been there a long time knows that defense um you know I think along the defensive line that uh F spot is really salty that that's gonna be a fourman rotation between Justice Boon Tyreek Sab LJ McCrae and Cameron James all four of those guys are going to play you know I think Boon or sap will start but like like how that rotation looks and who plays on what downs and in what packages that could change over the course of camping over the course of the season I think at end with Joey slackman and Caleb Banks that's a that's a really um you know stiff competition and then you move over to the offense Andy and on that right side of the line both of those spots to me are up for grabs like Damen George is the the likely most candidate to start at Right Guard who moved there from in the spring from right tackle but they've now got cam weights back at Right Guard repping there seeing if he can give him some competition because Damen George basically just got that um spot without anybody challenging him in the spring so now you got weights there to kind of compete with him and then at right tackle where I think everybody just assumed that Brenan khaw Dixon the transfer from San Diego State would win that job he's getting some competition from Kaden Jones a guy who's never played a college game and red shirted last year but he's made that much progress at the offensive tackle position I mean the guy looks impressive when you see him in person so I don't think anybody saw that coming but that is a that's a that's a heated battle from what I've been told well and also possible functional depth on the offensive line for Florida which is not something they've had in a while like that that's been the thing like they've had their starting five and if somebody went down it was bad news if it might be a situation where they actually could withstand some some bumps and bruises along the way no doubt and and one thing we also saw this week is Rod cerney their backup center is getting cross trained at guard and that's something that they've done in the past didn't know if they would continue to do it because of Weights being there because of Bryce loveit's progress at guard he's another guy that they really like uh but now they also got Rod Kerney reping there because you added Jason zandel the USC transfer and now he's playing Center so now you got more depth there I mean they they're in a much better spot I mean over at left tackle you got Devon Manuel with Austin Barber so um they they're they're just they they got more bodies and and if somebody's not getting the job done they don't have to just sit there and eat it anymore they can put somebody else in the game well that's something that that they've needed for quite a while in that position group especially what another position group that that was an issue last year uh the secondary and you had a story at Gator online this week about Jason Marshall who had a Revamped Secondary in Gainesville great freshman sophomore year yeah people reject him as a potential first round draft pick you know going leaving early and he just has a bad junior year and so he's back you said he seems completely different now than than last year and then you know tell me a little about some of the guys they brought in at safety to kind of help out with that yeah well well first of all I think with Jason I I just he look I've covered that guy since he was a recruit I remember him coming in as a freshman uh he's done uh media availability every year at Florida he's been a regular it's not like he doesn't like doing media he just something was different about him uh this past week when he took the podium the guy was just exuding confidence he was uh telling great stories on the mic like he was smiling I mean it it was it he was different and you could just tell that something was different about him and he said during his presser that he's got his confidence back and that he lost it last year he couldn't really pinpoint win but he was like it's obvious you could see it on tape and you know I think early on in the year he had some things just not go his way and some plays that he gave up I still remember the one against Utah the first play of the game and the and the guy got tripped it was just like bad luck uh that he you know gets tripped and can't make a touchdown Sav and tackle and then he had like three or four more plays like that he did close out the season on a strong note against FSU against FSU he had a great game and it was like that's the guy that everybody expected as a junior so now he comes back I think one thing that he uh had to worry about which I didn't really consider until I've seen the guys that they brought in at safety is he knew last year if he gave up a busted coverage or get let a guy get behind him uh it could go for six because Florida had two true freshman safeties back there starting in and that was just where they were at as a secondary now one of those guys Jordan Castell is back as a sophomore much more experience he earned you know ESP and All-American honors last year led the team in tackles but now you got ASA Turner that is probably gonna start next to him from Washington Florida's so lucky to have this guy on the on the roster Andy uh he should be out of Eligibility but only played in four regular season games didn't play toward the whole back half half of the regular season and then played in the conference title game and in both college football playoff games for Washington uh those three didn't count against his eligibility yeah so he was able to go red shirt last year have a red shirt year transfer to Florida and now he's starting as a six-year senior uh and he is he's making a huge difference I mean his tackle grade last year at Washington was uh 72 I think something in that range which is um way higher than every other Florida Safety not named Jordan Castell it's and in one of those only in 2024 situations you'll have ASA Turner who started the national championship game for Washington the secondary playing against Meese Powell who's at Miami now who started in the secondary for Washington in the national title game so w yeah it is it it is crazy uh one more thing I want to talk Better People Make Better Players to you about because I saw this last week I saw it you know buzzing on the internet after the press conference Billy Nate you're saying better people make better football players and obviously he got made fun of a lot for that oh yeah and it's it it goes back I've been saying this all off SE I don't know how you feel about this Z like there's nothing Billy Napier can say at this point like he just has to win games because what he said the the better people make better football player is a Nick sabinis through and through Sabin didn't say it quite that way but all the time he he would say something to the tune of like if you take care of all of the little things in your life for all the things in your life tend to be a better football player like that's the meaning behind that statement but it's one of those things where like if they win a but let's say they have a good season they win like seven eight games it's a Nick sabinis if they win three or four games that's his champions of life right there yeah yeah yeah it's it's it's you you give folks ammunition uh W with stuff like that given where he's at right now with public perception it's unfortunate because that came from a really really great comment from Billy and story that he told about basically what was the biggest compliment that he could give his team right now which is what everybody that's not associated with the football program is saying about his players the academic academic tutors uh the trainers uh the janitors uh every the cleaning staff all these people that interact with them that say Hey this locker room has been spotless and has never looked like this since since Building open um these players are engaging with us uh like never before and and showing up on time and he he just gave this great description of all the stuff that they've done this offseason that kind of changed themselves and right there at the end threw in that quote that he loves and lives by and it just like took all it took away from from what was really a great comment but um that's where he's at right now and that's where Florida's at and people just pounce on that stuff um but look he says that he thinks that uh his team is going to prove him right in that so if they do then uh that comment will hold true well we will find Wrapping up with Zach out very soon Miami Florida pitch force and torches game may or may not include Montreal Johnson we'll find out but Zach thank you so much absolutely looking forward to it thank you so much for watching just a reminder subscribe to this channel right here so you never miss an episode of Andy Staples on 3 and oh by the way watch all the other great videos on the on3 sports YouTube channel

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