Former Nole great says he has big plans for 2025 after an injury ended 2024 season

Former FSU football First-Team All-American defensive end Jermaine Johnson is no stranger to overcoming the odds.

The New York Jets first-round pick added to his list of adversity to overcome when he tore his Achilles in the second game against the Tennessee Titans.

The injury happened in mid-September and Johnson has been rehabbing since his surgery. He seems optimistic he'll return for the 2025 season and issued a statement via his social media account on Thursday afternoon.

The injury happened in mid-September and Johnson has been rehabbing since his surgery. He seems optimistic he'll return for the 2025 season and issued a statement via his social media account on Thursday afternoon.

The normal time it takes for someone to recover from an Achilles tear is four to six months. It usually takes about nine months for guys to return to football at a high level.

That time frame means Johnson should be walking and moving around pretty well by March and returning to football activities by June or July. Mandatory mini-camps should take place in early to mid-June. Team training camps will take place in mid to late July.

Jermaine Johnson has made an impact in his first couple of seasons with the NY Jets. He was a Pro Bowler in 2023, starting all 17 games with 55 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 16 QB hits, and 7.5 sacks.

He also had seven passes defended and one forced fumble. Those were the types of things Jermaine Johnson did in his lone year at FSU in 2021.

Johnson wasn't highly recruited out of high school and went the JUCO route before transferring to Georgia where he played as a reserve on a stacked team.

Johnson bet on himself and transferred to FSU for his final year before becoming the ACC Defensive Player of the Year on a 5-7 FSU team. As mentioned, he was also a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC.

He's a highly driven individual who always seems to rise to the occasion when he needs to the most. The 2021 Miami game is a prime example. He knew it was a massive opportunity to shine on a big stage and took over the game with five tackles, five tackles for a loss, and a major forced fumble that resulted in a turnover.

Interestingly enough, he predicted he would do it before the game as the Noles were about to run out of the tunnel. It looks like he's about to do the same type of thing recovering from this injury.