Gators Complete Flip, Earn Commitment From CB Dijon Johnson
Photo: Dijon Johnson; Credit: Zach Goodall
The Florida Gators are heating back up on the recruiting trail, completing their long-fought flip of Tampa (Fla.) Wharton 2023 cornerback Dijon Johnson from his previous pledge to Ohio State on Thursday evening.
Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton 2023 safety Bryce Thornton committed to Florida just a few hours prior to Johnson's announcement.
Johnson backed off of his commitment to the Buckeyes on July 30, then freshly removed from a two-day trip to Gainesville for Florida's Friday Night Lights and Grill in the Ville events.
Of the blue-chip commitments Florida has added over recent months, Johnson might be the most notable given the nature of his flipped pledge and consensus top-100 ranking as a prospect. Defensive lineman Kelby Collins choosing the Gators over Alabama and Georgia in August, however, provides a great argument for that title.
The move also marks a victory for Florida over in-state rival Miami on the recruiting trail, as the Hurricanes made an unsuccessful push to earn a visit and potentially flip Johnson shortly before his decommitment from Ohio State, All Gators learned at the time. The Gators also beat out Southern California, Alabama and Penn State for Johnson's services in the end.
Florida's new coaching staff expressed interest in Johnson shortly after arriving in Gainesville, able to secure an unofficial visit from the lengthy corner in March. He'd go on to pledge to the Buckeyes in April, but UF head coach Billy Napier and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond remained in his ear as of late and were able to convince Johnson to join his home-state program.
Johnson's two-day trek to UF at the end of July pushed things in the right direction, eventually leading to a pair of in-season visits and ultimately Johnson's pledge.
Johnson was named one of AllGators' top performers from Under Armour's Future 50 camp in Bradenton, Fla. just last weekend. You can read our analysis of his performance below.
Johnson is a prospect that definitely passes the eye test. Standing at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds with long arms, he is the prototype for what you look for in a high-level CB. But once he got on the field, Johnson dazzled with his fluidity going through individual drills and his ability to get out of his breaks.
At his size, Johnson is more adept as a press corner that thrives when getting his hands on a receiver at the line and dictating their route. When given the opportunity to do just that, he impressed, able to reroute several receivers and stay step-for-step with them after his initial jam. He did struggle a bit playing in off-coverage, however, allowing the receiver to break his cushion on occasion and force him to play catch-up, where he showed solid recovery speed.
While non-padded 1-on-1s and off-coverage are not Johnson’s forte, he showed enough throughout the entire weekend to earn a spot on this list.
Johnson joins Thornton, Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange's Jordan Castell, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola's Ja'Keem Jackson, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail's Sharif Denson and Sharpsburg (Ga.) Trinity Christian's Aaron Gates as defensive back commits in the Gators' 2023 recruiting class.
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