What Does Brian Johnson's Exit Mean for the Florida Gators?

The Florida Gators will need to work quickly to find a replacement for departed offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.

Earlier today, Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported that Florida Gators offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson would be leaving Gainesville, heading to the NFL to join the Philadelphia Eagles under new head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

RELATED: Brian Johnson leaves Florida, accepts Philadelphia Eagles QB coaching job

With that, the Gators are now entering new territory, forced to replace a departed offensive assistant for yet another offseason. Last year, Florida lost former tight ends coach Larry Scott who is now the head coach at Howard. Johnson's departure, however, could be far more of a detriment than Scott's for multiple reasons.

Under the guidance of head coach Dan Mullen, Johnson has been with his former head ball coach for many years, taking away some much-needed chemistry between the team's head coach and its play-caller. While Mullen certainly called plenty of the plays at Florida, Johnson's elevated role to offensive coordinator this season, the first Black offensive coordinator in Florida history, marked a clear change in responsibilities, and the direction of the offense as a whole shifted.

Last year, Florida saw its offense explode, becoming one of the top powerhouses in passing in the nation. Former Gators quarterback Kyle Trask threw for 4,283 yards while completing 301 passes, tossing 43 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.

His statistics, the Gators 8-4 season-ending record and New Years Six Bowl appearance propelled Trask to be one of the top-four finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

Florida ranked No. 1 in passing yards per game with 378.6 YPG while ranking No. 9 in the FBS in total yards per game at 509.8 YPG. Johnson's mark will be left on the Florida program for years to come.

Johnson played a major role in Trask's development and was set to see the fruits of his labor come to life in 2021 when Emory Jones was expected to take over as the program's starting quarterback.

While it did come as a surprise today to see Johnson leave for the NFL, it was not a complete surprise given the opportunities he had shortly prior to the end of the season, interviewing with South Carolina for their then-vacant head coaching position.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen spoke about Johnson, or any UF assistant coach, potentially departing following the team's victory over Tennessee in December.

"I'm happy all our guys to get opportunities," said Mullen. "I do think we have a very underrated coaching staff. I've said that a lot. People look and say, hey, I get a lot of credit and I probably get too much credit. You're kind of shocked, we have a bunch of guys on our staff I think that would make great head coaches.

"I think our coaches would do an awesome job. I'd love to see guys like [UF defensive coordinator] Todd Grantham to get opportunities to go be a head coach. With Brian, with all our guys, that's what everybody wants and their dreams. I think programs would be really pleased if they gave those guys an opportunity to go show what they can do."

Certainly, with Johnson no longer in the picture, Florida will need to work fast to find his replacement. The impact that could be seen from Johnson's departure may not only be seen on the gridiron as indicated above, however.

Off the field, Johnson was an expert recruiter and played a large role in the team landing not only 2020 freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson but also 2021 signees Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna.

The Gators are in line to bring in several more quarterback recruits during the 2022 cycle, too. The team has several offers extended, and are close in the running for pro-style quarterback Nicco Marchiol (Hamilton, Chandler, Az.) and dual-threat quarterbacks M.J. Morris (Pace Academy - Carrollton, Ga.), Conner Weigman (Bridgeland - Cypress, Tx.) and Jaccurri Brown (Lowndes - Valdosta, Ga).

Whoever becomes the team's next quarterback coach will need to have strong ties to several of the nation's top recruits in order to continue the momentum Johnson and Mullen have created.

While Johnson's departure will certainly impact the team's offense, Mullen, as stated above, is the team's rock offensively. It has been Mullen's scheme and playcalling (at times) that has altered how his programs are run. Essentially, as long as Mullen is still in charge of the Florida football program, its offense will continue to churn.

The recruiting aspect of his departure will certainly be tough to replace, though. Johnson built a network of close relationships with not only recruits but also current players within the program which is why the loss could impact many.

In all, Florida lost a great offensive play-caller and his ascension to the NFL, while surprising due to its timing, was not unexpected to happen at some point in the near future.