Kentucky senior Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson has been named to the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the College Sports Communicators, in association with The Associated Press (AP) and the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
Dumas-Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound inside linebacker from Hyattsville, Maryland, transferred to Kentucky in 2024 after spending three seasons at Georgia. During his time with the Bulldogs, he played in 38 career games and was instrumental in helping the team secure back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
Before his move to Kentucky, Dumas-Johnson had established himself as a consistent presence on the field, starting in 24 consecutive games for Georgia, including all nine in the 2023 season. However, his season was cut short after he suffered a broken left forearm (radius bone) during a victory over Missouri. Following surgery on November 7, Dumas-Johnson missed the remainder of the season and subsequently transferred to Kentucky in January 2024. He made his return to action on March 19, 2024, participating in the Wildcats’ spring practice.
Prior to his injury, Dumas-Johnson had recorded 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and a quarterback hurry. His impressive performance earned him spots on several national watch lists, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, and the Lombardi Award. He was also named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America First Team and The Sporting News Preseason All-America First Team.
Dumas-Johnson had an outstanding sophomore season at Georgia, where he was a finalist for the Butkus Award and was named a First-Team All-American by both Sporting News and ESPN.
As he enters the 2024 season with Kentucky, Dumas-Johnson boasts a career total of 126 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Since 2018, the Comeback Player of the Year Award has recognized college football student-athletes who have overcome injury, illness, or other significant challenges. At the end of each season, a panel of college football writers, editors, and sports information directors selects three student-athletes as Comeback Player of the Year Award winners, who are honored at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Previous winners of the Comeback Player of the Year Award include: 2023 – Blake Corum (Michigan); Jacob Dobbs (Holy Cross); Mike Hollins (Virginia); 2022 – Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota); Laiatu Latu (UCLA); Michael Penix Jr. (Washington); 2021 – Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan); McKenzie Milton (Florida State); J.J. Weaver (Kentucky); 2020 – Jarek Broussard (Colorado); Kenneth Horsey (Kentucky); Silas Kelly (Coastal Carolina); 2019 – Jake Luton (Oregon State); Drew Wilson (Georgia Southern); Octavion Wilson (Salisbury); 2018 – Antwan Dixon (Kent State), Seth Simmer (Dartmouth); Antonio Wimbush (Carson-Newman).
