Florida football recruiting: Top-100 CB Dijon Johnson commits to Gators for 2023

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Image Credit: Dijon Johnson / Twitter

It took a few months longer than most expected, but the Florida Gators added another key ingredient to their strong Class of 2023 on Thursday as four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson (Tampa, FL) committed to the program. The pledge is Florida’s second of the day with both additions coming in the secondary.

“Staying home,” Johnson tweeted along with a Gators commitment graphic.

Johnson (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is a former Ohio State commitment who rescinded his pledge on July 30, one day after completing an unofficial visit to UF. It was believed Johnson would flip to Florida that same day, but he decided to wait and take a second unofficial visit to the Gators before coming to a final decision.

The No. 96 overall player in the 247Sports Composite, Johnson chose Florida over OSU, Miami and USC. He boasted an offer list featuring most of the nation’s major programs. Now the Gators’ third-highest ranked pledge, he previously took official visits to Ohio State and Oklahoma with unofficial visits to Georgia, Florida State and UM.

Johnson can play every position in the secondary but projects as a cornerback at the college level. Should he follow through on his commitment and join Florida, he will likely have an opportunity to see significant playing time as a true freshman.

His commitment, coupled with one from three-star defensive back Bryce Thornton (Alpharetta, GA) earlier in the day, boosts the Gators four spots to No. 8 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Florida ended the summer with a top-10 class, though recent commitments elsewhere shifted the rankings.

Johnson, who is the 18th of 22 Gators pledges from the Sunshine State, joins Thornton, four-star CB Ja’Keem Jackson (Kissimmee, FL), four-star DB Jordan Castell (Winter Garden, FL) and four-star CB Sharif Denson (Jacksonville, FL) in the Class of 2023. The Gators are not done recruiting the position with five-star CB Cormani McClain (Lakeland, FL) standing as the program’s top remaining target.