MU confirms that injured wide receiver Johnathon Johnson will redshirt

Freshman wide receiver Johnathon Johnson was enjoying a strong fall camp and was expected to make Missouri’s game-day roster, but he will redshirt during the 2015 season instead after suffering a severe high-ankle sprain during the first scrimmage.

Coach Gary Pinkel confirmed Monday that Johnson, who had surgery Aug. 21 to repair the ankle, would not play this season.

“He was doing extremely well, but he won't be back,” Pinkel said.

Johnson had a chance to crack the depth chart behind sophomore Nate Brown as a slot receiver, the “H” position in the Tigers’ offense, and might have been valuable as a return specialist on special teams.

He is joined among Missouri’s crop of redshirts by two other wide receivers, Richaud Floyd and Justin Smith.

Floyd flashed some in the final fall-camp scrimmage, but didn’t make the depth.

Smith, an intriguing 6-foot-7 target on deep balls and in the red zone, showed big-play ability several times during scrimmages, but also will redshirt.

Running backs Marquise Doherty (Winnetonka), Ryan Williams (Lee’s Summit West) and Chase Abbington (Hutchinson Community College) also will redshirt along with offensive lineman A.J. Harris (Blue Valley) and Tanner Owen (Kearney).

Defensively, safety Ronnell Perkins and cornerbacks T.J. Warren also will redshirt along with linebacker Franklin Agbasimere and defensive end Tyrell Jacobs.

Cornerback Anthony Hines, who transferred from the College of San Mateo (Calif.) last month when Butler offensive tackle and Bonner Springs graduate Tyler Howell failed to enroll for the fall semester, also appears headed for a redshirt. He’s also been nursing a foot injury suffered last spring.

Injuries or other circumstances could force any of the players currently slated for a redshirt into action during the season, but it’s not considered likely.

More injury report

Missouri will be a bit shorthanded against Southeast Missouri State in Saturday’s season opener on Faurot Field.

Senior safety Cortland Browning (hamstring strain) and senior wide receiver Wesley Leftwich (knee sprain) have been ruled out for the 3 p.m. game.

Meanwhile, junior defensive tackle Harold Brantley, who won’t play this season after suffering a broken leg and ligament damage in his knee among other injuries during a June car wreck, also appears on the Tigers’ official injury list along with redshirt freshman running back Trevon Walters.

Walters is still recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL, but is expected to return this season.

Charitable Tigers

Missouri will wear prostate-cancer awareness emblems on their helmets Saturday against Southeast Missouri in honor of former SEC commissioner Mike Slive, a cancer survivor, and to bring attention to the cause.

“Mike Slive, it was really an incredible experience for a few years being around a guy like that that has done such a remarkable job,” Pinkel said. “This is for a very good cause, so I wanted to mention that.”

Pinkel and the Tigers also will auction off his game-day visor from all home games as well as the BYU game at Arrowhead Stadium to benefit a charity in Columbia.

More details are available at GaryPinkel.com.

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 9:18 PM with the headline "MU confirms that injured wide receiver Johnathon Johnson will redshirt."