DB Dijon Johnson Signs with Florida Gators

Florida officially secures its top defensive back commit, cornerback Dijon Johnson.
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Tampa (Fla.) Wharton defensive back and class of 2023 Gators commitment Dijon Johnson officially signed with Florida on Wednesday.

Florida began its push for Johnson over the summer while he was committed to Ohio State, securing a multi-day visit from the cornerback for the team's Friday Night Lights and Grill in the Ville recruiting events. Immediately following that trip, Johnson backed off of his pledge to the Buckeyes to assess his recruiting options.

However, it became clear very quickly that Florida was the team to beat. Johnson visited the Gators twice more at the beginning of the season, for their matchups with Utah and Kentucky, before making his pledge to UF official on October 13. He then officially visited the program from Dec. 9-11.

Johnson is considered the No. 9 cornerback and No. 104 overall prospect in the class of 2023, per the On3 Sports consensus rankings. 

You can find a blurb from Johnson's All Gators scouting report below.

This isn't written lightly, a solid comparison of Johnson's physical profile is that of former Gators cornerback

Kaiir Elam

when he was coming out of high school. At the time, Elam stood at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and mainly won mainly with his towering and lengthy frame, physicality and ball skills at the prep level...

[Johnson's] frame, athleticism and general skill-set are very similar to UF's most recent day one draft selection when he starred at North Palm Beach (Fla.) The Benjamin School. We'd even argue Johnson is a more polished zone corner than Elam was at the time, although he's a bit less fluid comparatively...

Johnson has the tools to one day emerge as a quality, or better, starting boundary cornerback in the SEC, as Elam did before the end of his freshman season. His build and abilities could also lead Johnson to play safety at UF, especially as the Gators have lacked range at the position for several years.

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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries.