Gators' RB Montrell Johnson Jr. Injury Not Expected to be Long-Term

Florida Gators' starting running back Montrell Johnson is not expected to miss extended time with a lower body injury suffered in the 23-17 overtime loss to No. 8 Tennessee.

Tennessee defensive lineman Dominic Bailey (90) tackles Florida running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (1) during a SEC conference game between Tennessee and Florida in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is not expected to miss an extended period of time with an apparent lower body injury suffered during the team's 23-17 overtime loss to then-No. 8 Tennessee, head coach Billy Napier announced Monday.

Florida will release its first of four weekly required availability reports on Wednesday evening, and Johnson Jr. is expected to be listed. However, it remains unclear what his status will be.

Johnson Jr., who rushed for 85 yards in the loss, suffered the injury after an awkward tackle on a 20-yard run with 9:45 left in the third quarter. He left the game under his own power and remained on the sideline but did not return to the field.

This is the second lower-body injury to occur to Johnson Jr. this season. The fourth-year back missed most of the Gators' fall camp with a knee injury, during which he underwent a scope but recovered in-time for the season-opener against Miami.

In six games, Johnson Jr. has rushed for 373 yards and four touchdowns after rushing for at least 800 yards in three-straight seasons, two of which have been with the Gators.

Should he miss Saturday's game against Kentucky, Florida will rely on backups Ja'Kobi Jackson, who's rushed for 109 yards and three scores on the year, and true freshman Jadan Baugh, who's second on the team with 153 rushing yards.

On Saturday, the Gators were without its other backups in sophomore Treyaun Webb and freshman KD Daniels, who have both now missed the last two games.

Additionally, Johnson Jr. is the second major offensive injury that occurred on Saturday, joining starting quarterback Graham Mertz. Napier confirmed on Monday that Mertz would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, which he suffered after a 13-yard touchdown pass to Arlis Boardingham on the same drive as Johnson Jr.'s injury.

Florida returns to the field next week in The Swamp for homecoming against Kentucky, which is set for a 7:45 start with television coverage on SEC Network.