Gators RB Montrell Johnson Jr. Declares for 2025 NFL Draft

The Florida Gators running back is going pro with his college career coming to its conclusion

Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is heading to the draft / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. announced on Sunday that he was declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft in April.

Gator 4 Life!!♾️ #TG pic.twitter.com/FJGXsSsnm4

— Montrell Johnson Jr. ♛ ³ (@Trellll_3) December 22, 2024

Johnson Jr. began his career with Billy Napier at Louisiana in 2021. He played in all 14 games for the Ragin’ Cajuns that year, leading the team in rushing touchdowns (12) and second in rushing yards (838). He also became the 13th player in NCAA history to record a 99-yard rushing touchdown, which he accomplished against Arkansas State. 

After the 2021 season, he packed his things and followed his head coach to Gainesville to play for the Gators, a place where he’d spend his next three years and instantly become one of the best running backs on the team and the conference. 

In his first year with the program, he appeared in all 13 games (nine starts), making his debut with the team against Utah in the home opener. By the end of it, he finished with a team-high 841 yards and 10 touchdowns on 155 carries. His best game of the season came against South Carolina in early November where he accounted for 161 yards rushing and a touchdown on 24 carries. 

Then, as a junior in 2023, Johnson Jr. started in all but one of his 12 games, leading the team in rushing yards (817) in back-to-back years. He also added six touchdowns (five rushing and one receiving) to his resume for the year. 

Now, as a senior, Johnson Jr. ended the year playing in 10 games, and rushing for 593 yards and six touchdowns on exactly 100 carries. He did have some injuries that caused him to miss some game time, but still accomplished some impressive feats along the way. 

In the opening game of the season against Miami, the senior surpassed 2,500 career rushing yards after rushing for 106 yards on 11 carries. In the final game of the regular season against Florida State, he achieved 3,000 career rushing yards with his 99 yards against the Seminoles. 

Johnson Jr. becomes the sixth Gator to have declared for the 2025 NFL Draft following their bowl win over Tulane. He joins Cam Jackson, Derek Wingo, Jason Marshall Jr., Ja’Quavion Fraziars and R.J. Moten as the other players to have announced their plans. The one other player to have said goodbye to Gator nation is quarterback Graham Mertz, who announced his intentions to enter the draft after tearing his ACL, ending his final season early.