Effect of Dijon Johnson’s Injury On Gators
In the SEC’s teleconference Wednesday, Florida coach Billy Napier announced cornerback Dijon Johnson will sit out the remainder of the season after getting knee surgery Tuesday.
Johnson had performed well for the Gators besides Devin Moore, but injured himself against Miami. He had one interception through four games this season.
The Gators have obviously not had the start to the season they had hoped, sitting at 1-3 at the end of September. The one bright spot has been Florida’s defense, allowing just five touchdowns.
Florida’s secondary has allowed just 173 passing yards per game this season, with two interceptions and only two touchdowns allowed.
But now Florida’s lost one of its best corners in Johnson. And with seven of Florida’s eight remaining opponents currently in the top 50 in the NCAA in scoring offense, the passing defense might sacrifice more yards in the coming weeks.
However, the plight of losing cornerbacks has already happened, that being last season.
Jason Marshall Jr., who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, went out against Kentucky last year and was out for the rest of the season. A week later, Moore departed for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury against Georgia.
At that time last year, Florida was 4-4 and times were looking bleak. When a season is already getting out of hand and two of your best corners go down, one would only assume disaster follows.
But the Gators finished the season 5-1, and the depth at the corner position proved to be reliable.
Prior to Kentucky, the defense allowed 179.2 passing yards, .6 passing touchdowns and .4 interceptions per game.
After the Kentucky and Georgia games in which Florida’s top two corners injured themselves, the Gators defense averaged 240.4 passing yards, 1.8 passing touchdowns and one interception per game.
Those numbers spell out a serious decline in performance, but matchups with Samford and UCF early in the season made Florida’s early numbers look better. If you take those two games out, Florida’s allowed an average of 243 passing yards per game prior to facing Kentucky.
It’s also worth considering trajectory. Immediately after Florida faced Georgia, Texas threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns on it. However, Florida’s passing yards per game allowed trended down with each game after, ending with only 125 against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
The corners improved and found their rhythm. If history repeats itself, the loss of Johnson will probably be a major setback, but Florida’s secondary may rise to the occasion soon thereafter.
Category: College Football, Football, Gators Football
