Fall Camp Focus: Florida Gators Running Backs

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With fall training camp underway, Gators Online is providing a position-by-position look of the 2024 Florida Gators football team this month. The media was provided a 15-minute viewing period on Tuesday night.

On day six of camp, GO followed and filmed the running backs exclusively as they went through position drills with RB coach Jabbar Juluke. The video highlights from Tuesday’s viewing period are attached to this story.

Returning starter Montrell Johnson Jr., a preseason first team All-SEC pick by Phil Steele and Lindy’s Sports, is out for at least a few weeks after sustaining a knee injury during the first week of practice. Johnson is considered as week to week but will likely miss the rest of camp.

Nonetheless, he had a routine arthroscopic procedure to clean up his knee and will be good to go for the Gators. After leading the team in rushing the past two years, he decided to come back as a senior and chase a 1,000-yard season.

“Very important,” Juluke said of Johnson’s return. “He’s experienced and you cannot underestimate experience playing football. You cannot underestimate the knowledge that he has in this offense. You can’t underestimate the value of him being able to catch the ball out of the backfield and play on third down in pass protection or run in between the tackles or outside. He’s just a complete back. He has the total package and now he’s being a mentor, he’s being a leader. He’s sitting next to Jaden Baugh and making sure that they understand what needs to happen.

“He’s to the left and to the right is Kahnen [Daniels]. They sit right there next to him and when I say write something down, he’s making sure that they’re writing it down the correct way and sharing his notes with them and teaching them how to take notes, how to be prepared, how to be the first one in the training room, how to take care of your body to prevent injuries. He’s the ultimate player, man, and I think he’s going to leave here as one of the best backs to play at the University of Florida when it’s all said and done.”

With Johnson sidelined, sophomore Treyaun Webb is expected to take the majority of the reps with the starting offense. He rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman and his best game came against Vanderbilt, finishing with 70 yards on four attempts for an average of 17.5 per carry to go with three catches.

“It’s gonna be a great opportunity for him. I think he’s very excited about the opportunity that he has,” Juluke said. “Treyaun is very tough, he’s physical, he’s smart. I’m talking about extremely smart. He’s a 4.3 grade point average, he’s gonna graduate in two and a half years from college. So that helps him to play a lot faster than when you would think that I young player would play.

“So, I’m excited about what he’s going to do and he’s ready for the opportunity. And he’s been, for lack of a cliche, he’s been born for this because he’s a true and true Gator. So, he’s been looking for his opportunity to play in The Swamp and have an opportunity to excel in front of his family and friends and the Gator Nation. So, I’m excited about what he’s going to do.”

Redshirt junior Ja’Kobi Jackson is currently the next man up in the rotation after Johnson and Webb, but Baugh and Daniels are both in contention for playing time as true freshmen. Baugh rushed 12 times for 77 yards in the spring game, while Daniels had six carries for 13 yards.

“Those two freshmen are very talented. Jadan Baugh and Kahnen Daniels, they catch the ball well. They want to be able to contribute to this team, either on special teams and definitely in the backfield,” Juluke said. “They got a lot going on in their head. It’s my job to try and slow it down for them as best as I can to make sure that they are understanding it.

“I want to be able to talk the language that they can speak. I don’t want to talk over their head. I want to make sure that it’s plain. … I just want to simplify it so they can play as fast as they possibly can and be as efficient when they get their reps so they can have success. We don’t want them to go into the tank. Early success is important for those guys.”

The sixth scholarship running back is redshirt senior Cam Carroll. He suffered a season-ending injury in training camp last year and missed spring ball as well. He’s now going through some position drills in fall camp, but he’s unlikely to contribute in 2024.

“He’s doing really well,” Juluke said of Carroll, “but he has a long road to go. But he’s doing well. He’s got good spirits. He’s been a leader, also, with those young guys, helping them out as best as he can right now. He can get a little frustrated, so I’m trying to be as positive with him as I possibly can and make sure that his mental capacity is still there, his psyche.”

The post Fall Camp Focus: Florida Gators Running Backs appeared first on On3.