State of Florida Transfer Portal News
The Transfer Portal window is beginning. It’s been a windfall of names entering and looking for greener pastures.
The state of Florida has been a prime point of Transfer Portal news, with Miami, Florida State, Florida, and UCF all being in the process of seeing their rosters change, and sometimes dramatically.
Here’s a brief overview of where each school stands. Keep in mind, this is truly just the beginning. It’s going to be an interesting next couple of weeks as players look to find a new school by January so they can enroll and participate within spring practice at their new institution.
List in alphabetical order by school.
Florida Gators
First off, Florida is a program in transition. Head coach Billy Napier is going to be losing quite a few players from his senior class that are truly valuable to the Gators. That makes this Transfer Portal window important to his program.
It’s not easy to replace veteran starters. That’s what Napier and the Gators must do, offensive tackle Richard Gouraige being one of those departing. Good luck to all of them as they chase their dreams.
Now, the Gators are already losing at least 10 players on defense to the Transfer Portal. While the majority are not yet prime players, that’s a big hit to the depth and development categories that college football programs are usually working hard at improving. Therefore, look for UF to go hard for defensive talent. In fact, Napier and his staff are already showing signs of success.
Landing Caleb Banks, a 6-foot-7 and 300-pound defensive tackle, is certainly going to help UF’s defensive tackle depth chart. On the offensive side of the football, less is currently known.
There’s running back Nay’Quan Wright. He never took over the starting role for the Gators, but did contribute. The Miami area prep player is transferring to Georgia Tech. While Florida is not bereft of offensive talent, it does not help to lose a speedy and shifty playmaker like Wright.
Look for Florida to go after many Transfer Portal players on both sides of the football. The Gators are losing too many players not to do so.
Florida State Seminoles
The regular season for the Noles (9-3) is probably helping them at least gain interest from players within the Transfer Portal. The following former SEC player being a prime example:
There’s also the addition of a defensive tackle from a rival (see details in the Miami section) that’s also helping FSU’s Transfer Portal start. Plus, do not forget about a transfer that took place in August, as former Cocoa (Fla.) High School running back Caziah Holmes is coming to FSU from Penn State. There are a couple of notable losses as well.
Former Orlando (Fla.) Boone defensive lineman Shambe Jackson only spent one season with the Seminoles. He is a talented player and one that will garner serious interest from numerous programs. Plus, defensive back Sam McCall is also going to sign with another program. He is another freshman that’s an elite athlete with tremendous length for a secondary player.
For FSU, the key to elevating the program further likely stems from finding a few more elite prospects from the Portal. There's no reason to believe Norvell and his assistants cannot accomplish that task.
Miami Hurricanes
This is the school with the most players hitting the Transfer Portal. A team that finishes 2022 with a 5-7 record, this is a team that needs a true influx of talent. The Canes are already well past 10 players that are leaving the program, however.
On the flip side, if the Hurricanes can land a few studs from the Transfer Portal that impact the win-loss column, it’s doubtful head coach Mario Cristobal will care about the number balance with the Transfer Portal. However, there is one that he probably would like to have back.
Talented defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, Jr. is going to rival Florida State. He is a player with three more years of eligibility, and he’s from the Tallahassee area. Considering the rivalry between the Canes and Noles, it shall be interesting to see how his former Miami teammates treat him now that he will be playing for the enemy at Florida State.
The good news for Cristobal and the Canes stems from them drawing interest from a few top transfers to come to Coral Gables, including the following top-notch talent.
Watch out for Miami with former Tunmise Adeleye, among others. He was an elite recruit coming out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. He could change Miami’s defensive front.
Overall, Miami is quite likely to be active with the Portal. Cristobal is a tremendous recruiter and he is not going to be out worked.
UCF Knights
From the four schools, UCF is probably the one that should see the most examination at a later date. To start, National Signing Day is going to bring UCF talent like former FSU commitment Randy Pittman, a player that is capable of playing during the first season for the Knights in the Big 12. The fact that UCF is bringing in better high school talent aleviates the need to hit the Portal as hard. That's also the case with freshmen.
There are a lot of younger players on the roster that head coach Gus Malzahn and his staff hold faith in to help replace departing players, regardless of whether that’s due to graduation or former players hitting the Portal.
Case in point, freshman wide receiver Xavier Townsend is showing considerable promise as a wide receiver and return man and should replace Ryan O’Keefe, a player that recently made a decision to go to another institution. A third point resides with UCF's recent track record.
UCF did a tremendous job of landing Transfer Portal players during the spring of 2021 and 2022. The Knights look for fits and do not just jump at raw talent like many other schools. The coaching staff deserves credit for what they did with numerous players after they get into the UCF program
Sometimes it is even a player from the FCS level like the 2022 leading tackler, Jason Johnson, as he came over from Eastern Illinois. That being the case, there are still needs on both sides of the ball, just like the other in-state programs.
Quarterback Mikey Keene is in the Portal, as are other contributors from this past season. That’s the new normal in college football and UCF is dealing with that point accordingly. That's where UCF could be aggressive in specific situations.
No different than UF, FSU or Miami, top-notch prospects at a critical position, sure, UCF needs to at least consider a transfer.
Further, the upcoming bowl game against Duke will help determine that factor as several young players, like Townsend, will get a shot to play and prove their talent firsthand. Looking at players that have already decided on UCF, it’s incredible where they are coming from.
Ironically, two transfers that UCF is already happy about both come from USF. One is a player that already made the decision to return home as quarterback Timmy McClain is from Sanford (Fla.) Seminole, a program just north of Orlando. That was the case back in August.
The other one is a bit more surprising. Linebacker Antonio Grier, Jr. is making the move to UCF from USF. Seeing the Knights gain two talents like McClain and Grier, and from their primary rival in the Bulls, just shows how one can just truly never know with the Transfer Portal.
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