Bad news comes in waves, does it not? Fresh off Florida's third straight loss on the season, it seems as though the Gators will be without cornerback Dijon Johnson for the foreseeable future. Graham Hall of Swamp247 reported Johnson is undergoing surgery on his right knee on Monday to repair his meniscus. While he has not been ruled out for the season, everything sounds like it is a major injury.
Johnson suffered this injury on the first drive of the second half in Saturday night's 26-7 road loss to in-state rival Miami. While the final score may prove otherwise, it was the defense that was keeping Florida in this game until the very end. Even though Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck did not play particularly well, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway could do next to nothing on offense for the Gators...
Florida enters Week 5's bye week hoping to find something within itself to save its trying season here.
BREAKING: Florida junior cornerback Dijon Johnson will undergo surgery today on his right knee, multiple sources told @Swamp_247.
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) September 22, 2025
READ: https://t.co/cDxEcTvOgX pic.twitter.com/BT8iJGKkxe
It has become almost untenable when it comes to the status of much-maligned head coach Billy Napier. His contract is looking worse and worse by the day. Yes, Florida entered the season having to play one of the toughest schedules in the country yet again, but none of the momentum this team had down the stretch last year carried into this one. Napier might have won his final game at Florida...
So with Johnson out for what looks to be the duration of the season, what is Florida to do now?
Dijon Johnson out for the foreseeable future after having knee surgery
The next three games will inevitably decide Napier's fate. Coming out of the bye, the Gators will host at a top-10 team in the Texas Longhorns, before going on the road to play another one in the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station. Nothing we have seen out of Florida the last few weeks leads us to believe they will be winning either game. It may come down to the game ahead of The Cocktail Party.
That home date vs. Mississippi State looms large. This is the university that Scott Stricklin left to come take over at Florida. This is the school that Dan Mullen left only a few years ago, too. A home loss to Mississippi State could be all she wrote for Napier, as the second bye on the season will be ahead of the date in Jacksonville vs. Georgia. Is Napier going to coach in that after losing six straight?
In the end, the season may already be lost before Johnson is even healthy enough to come back to play. Getting surgery now may help his cause to return to the field sooner rather than later. However, it is hard to justify him playing another down for this year's team after everything that has transpired so far this season. Johnson could play for the Gators again one day, but it might be for a different coach.
For now, Johnson needs to rest and recover, knowing he gave his all for what looks to be a lost cause.