Breaking down who takes on the load vs. Miami if Montrell Johnson can't play

The start of the college football season is nearly upon us. And the Florida–Miami game figures to be one of the more intriguing matchups of the Week 1 slate of games. However, the Gators got a bit of bad news early on in fall camp as running back Montrell Johnson had a “minor knee injury”, undergoing routine arthroscopic surgery to help clean it up.

He’s expected to be week-to-week with the injury, however the Gators have started to think of what they’ll on in the opener in case he’s not ready. Gators’ Online’s Zach Abolverdi recently jumped on the Andy Staples On3 Show to discuss who will step up and handle the workload against the ‘Canes.

Treyaun Webb is the ‘next guy up’ for the Gators

“Well I think the next guy up is Treyaun Webb. He’s the true freshman that played last year as a freshman. Now back as a sophomore,” Abolverdi explained. “A guy that was already expected to have a larger role this season because of the departure of Trevor Etienne to Georgia. They go through fall camp now, I think that he’s going to be the guy. Going through the starting reps with the first team offense.”

In 2023, Webb played in 11 games as a reserve running back and on special teams. He finished with 163 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 26 carries. As a receiver, he hauled in four catches for 18 yards.

As a high school prospect, Webb first burst onto the scene when he landed an offer from the Miami Hurricanes in the seventh grade. He shined during his days for Trinity Christian Academy, finishing with 3,488 total rushing yards and 48 touchdowns in his career. Webb went on to win the state title twice during his high school career, rushing for 173 yards in the 2021 Class AA state title game. According to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2023 cycle, he was ranked as the No. 23 running back in his class.

While Webb is the next man up for the Gators backfield, there are plenty of other tailbacks they could deploy against Miami.

“Now will they get some other guys in there to get some experience?” Abolverdi continued. “Yes, including the true freshmen. 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 Ja’Kobi Jackson. The JUCO transfer who redshirted last year, 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 that rotation.”

Jackson’s college recruitment flew under the radar nationally and he ended up at Coahoma Community College (Clarksdale, Mississippi). After three seasons there, he finished his time at Coahoma with 1,390 yards and 14 touchdowns in 20 career games. As a high school prospect for Pensacola Catholic, he earned AAA All-State honors as a senior and earned Player of the Year honors from multiple newspapers.

“But the guy next up is Treyaun Webb,” he finished. “Webb will clearly be the first man to replace Johnson in the Miami game if he’s not ready.

Will the Gators choose to roll with Jadan Baugh against Miami?

A player that turned heads in the Florida spring game was freshman running back Jadan Baugh. A four-star tailback in the 2024 cycle, Baugh did not disappoint, rushing for a team high 77 yards. What does he have to do to get on the field at this point?

There are a couple of things he needs to work on. “Yeah, 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. Not that that’s an issue or anything but just to be consistently where he wants to be,” Abolverdi explained.

Jadan Baugh was ranked as the No. 25 running back in his class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. As a senior for Columbia High School (Decatur, Georgia), he rushed for 1,583 yards and 19 touchdowns on 113 carries (averaging 14 yards per carry). He chose the Gators over offers from Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee, and others.

As is the case with most true freshmen, there’s plenty of things they’ll be asked to pick up rather quickly in their first year of development at the college level.

“With any true freshman or young guy at that position, to ask them to pass protect to pick up all the different responsibilities that come with pass protection,” Abolverdi began. “To know the playbook. That’s a lot to put on a young guy’s plate. Now the good thing for Jadan Baugh, as well as KD Daniels, both of those guys enrolled early. Jadan Baugh is a guy who is going to play as a freshman and make an impact. He’s probably going to be that first guy off the bench.”

Make no mistake about it, the 6-foot, 227 pounder is expected to make a splash off the bench in his first year and play a big role for the Gators. Abolverdi sounds uncertain how much they’ll utilize him in the Miami game, but he clearly sees Baugh carving out a role as the 2024-2025 season goes along.

“It’s just, how much can they put on his plate that first game against Miami if Montrell Johnson can’t play,” he stated. “I think because of Treyaun Webb having a year under his belt. Kind of getting the starting reps. At least I expect in fall camp. He’s gonna be the guy that they key on. But as the season goes on, you’re gonna see No. 13 [Jadan Baugh] carry the ball and carry the ball more often.”

Miami and Florida will settle it between the lines on Saturday, August 31st. Kick is set for 3:30 p.m EST and the game will be nationally televised on ABC.