Jermaine Johnson in great spirits after tearing Achilles

Former FSU defensive end Jermaine Johnson is one of the most important players in recent FSU history. The former ACC Defensive Player of the Year and First-Round Draft pick of the NY Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft suffered a season-ending injury Sunday afternoon against the Tennessee Titans. Johnson suffered the injury rushing the passer and immediately went down on the field and had to be carted off. The rumors of a torn Achilles were confirmed by a social media post by Jermaine Johnson on Monday afternoon.

Johnson's always had a lot of self-belief and optimistic views since joining the FSU program for the 2021 season. It was Johnson's play that made you feel like great days were ahead for FSU. His belief in FSU head coach Mike Norvell and the coaching staff was evident, and he's one of the reasons another great defensive end joined the program after he left in Jared Verse.

Johnson played in 14 games as a rookie, garnering 20 tackles, three tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, and five QB hits. He followed that up with an outstanding sophomore Pro Bowl season, garnering 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, and 16 QB hits. He started in all 17 games. Johnson was off to a solid start in 2024, with four tackles, one tackle for a loss in the first game and a half.

The usual recovery time for the injury is 4-6 months. That should give Johnson enough time to make it back for the beginning of the 2025 season as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks. Here's to hoping he has a speedy recovery.