Redshirt Report: Roderick Johnson

Name: Roderick Johnson

Height: 6-5

Weight: 316

Position: OL

 

Why did he redshirt?

There were a couple reasons Johnson earned a redshirt his first season on campus. First, it follows the natural progression that Will Muschamp wants for offensive linemen to come in and redshirt their first season on campus. Johnson also got a late start on the season after falling a half credit shy of being able to enroll with the rest of the freshmen class in the summer, instead enrolling in the fall, similar to Jonathan Bullard the year before.

Depth at the position

Florida is on the slimmer limit of where they want to be on the offensive line. The Gators have 14-scholarship offensive lineman in total but only 11 available for the spring.

With a new offensive line coach and new offensive scheme, expect the Florida offensive line to be shaken up this season.

Player Evaluation

Johnson has great size for the position and plays the game angry. He plays with great agility and flexibility for a player of his size. He’s quick out of his stance and really explodes off of the line as a run blocker.

Despite getting a late start to his freshman season, Johnson earned rave reviews from Muschamp and has earned the trust of the coaching staff.

2014 Prognosis

With numbers thin for the spring, Johnson looks to be moving inside from his natural position at tackle. However, that kind of versatility is highly valued by Florida’s coaching staff and will help Johnson get on the field early this season.

Look for the Gators to use a lot of combinations at offensive line in the spring while Mike Summers and Muschamp look for the combination of five that works best.

I think Johnson can work himself into that group of five at either guard or tackle. He’s a talented player and certainly will contend for playing time as a redshirt sophomore.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC