Ole Miss defensive end C.J. Johnson will miss the remainder of the season, requiring surgery for a leg injury. And if Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze's comments are any indication, Johnson has no plans to turn pro early and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
According Freeze, Johnson will apply to the NCAA for medical redshirt status, which will salvage his eligibility and give him two more years to play in college, beginning next season. That's the move of a player intending to return to school for, at a minimum, one more season. If healthy for 2014, Johnson would have a chance to once again flash the skills that helped him lead the team in sacks in 2012 with 6.5. The Johnson that took the field this year, however, was apparently not quite the same player.
Clarionledger.com reported that Johnson had struggled to fully recover from a broken leg sustained during spring practice.
In four games, Johnson made 12 tackles without a sack, though he was averaging one tackle for loss per game with four. Due to his size, Johnson (6-3, 230 pounds) would project as an outside linebacker rather than a defensive end at the NFL level. Johnson was a five-star recruit at the prep level, from Philadelphia, Miss.
Ole Miss also is without its other starting defensive end, highly-regarded freshman Robert Nkemdiche, who is expected to miss three weeks with a hamstring injury.
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