Montrell Johnson Jr.: 'I expect to get the ball more'

Florida RB Montrell Johnson Jr. has led the Gators in rushing in each of his two seasons in The Swamp. Now, due to changes in the backfield, he is ready to take on even more of a load in the run game.

Johnson spoke about an increased share of carries for him this fall while at SEC Media Days in Dallas last week. That won’t bother him at all based on how he thinks he’ll handle it. In fact, he’s completely expecting it from himself.

“I expect to get the ball more coming into the future this next season,” Johnson said. “I’m not too worried about it because I feel like I can hold the load on my own and just going out there and making sure I play mistake-free football.”

This conversation comes following the transfer of Trevor Ettiene this offseason. He and Johnson had taken a majority of the share of snaps over the last two years in Gainesville. In total, they combined to rush for 3,130 yards and 29 touchdowns on 556 carries. For reference, that accounted for 62.3% of the touches, 71.2% of the yardage, and 58% of the scores in the run game from 2022 and 2023.

However, Ettiene transferred in the first portal cycle and committed to Georgia on Christmas Eve. He joined that conference foe so as the No. 19 overall player and the No. 3 RB per On3’s 2024 Transfer Portal Top Players.

That does leave Florida without one of the best rushing duos in the country. Still, on the other hand, it frees up even more opportunity for Johnson, who, again, led them in rushing ahead of Etienne, to produce on the ground.

We’ll have to see how Johnson holds up to that increased share over the course of the fall. Even so, he says he’s more than ready to take that on in his senior season.

Billy Napier reveals how he will define success this year at Florida

There might not be a coach under more pressure in the country this season than Billy Napier.

So, with that, what does success look like for Napier in his third year in Gainesville? He gave his thoughts on that at SEC Media Days in Dallas, beginning by saying Florida is going to approach things in small increments.

“One of the things I’ve learned in our profession is you’ve got to break things up into short periods of time for players,” Napier said. “If we can execute consistently and get consumed with the work — how we prepare, how we train. For example, the next 10 days are extremely important. We turn the page for training camp.”

The mindset is how Napier believes his team can power through and find a way to get results. Going through it all together while mentally restarting on Mondays, no matter the previous week’s result.

“The great thing about this schedule is we don’t have to take this on as individuals,” Napier said. “We get to do this as a team. I believe that I’ve learned and observed in this league — you have to have to ability, the self discipline to prepare the same each week, regardless of the outcome…Erase the board, start over. And every person in that building has got to prepare the same way. So, we’re going to do that. We’re going to focus on the work ahead, look up at the end of the season, and see what that earns.”

“I’m on the inside,” Napier said. “I get a chance to be around our staff and our players going back to the beginning of this offseason. That’s what gives me confidence. You’ve got to be consumed with the process, not the outcome to a certain degree.”