Transfer Forward EJ Jarvis on His Journey to Florida: 'It All Made Sense'

New Gators forward EJ Jarvis provides insight into his journey to Florida, connection with the staff, on-court role and more in an exclusive interview.

Newly committed Florida forward EJ Jarvis' transfer portal entry was three years in the making. 

As a sophomore, Jarvis was forced to endure the Ivy League's cancellation of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19, adding an extra year to his collegiate career on the backend. At that point, he knew he'd be testing college basketball free agency to exhaust his final season of eligibility elsewhere — allowed by the Ivy League's one-time transfer rule for graduates affected by COVID. 

Despite the long-term understanding of where his career was heading, his journey in the portal was still the hectic process it is for most talent. Jarvis received considerable attention from schools nationwide and proved to be one of the most sought-after forwards on the market, instantaneously.

Florida, one of at least five programs to contact Jarvis within his first hour in the portal, quickly emerged as a strong contender for his services alongside "two or three" other schools. The tight race at the top shaped a mid-April timeline for a commitment. 

However, during his two-day official visit to UF starting on March 28, Jarvis couldn't deny his feelings for the program, ultimately leading to him shutting down his recruitment early.

"It all made sense," he told All Gators in an exclusive interview on Saturday. "When something makes sense, you go with it. 

"Everything at Florida, from the student life to the genuine coaching staff to the team they were looking to build, winning culture on and off the court, it all just seemed like a dream and who wouldn't want to live their dream?"

The trek to Florida "sealed the deal" for Jarvis as he furthered his connection with Todd Golden and other members of the Gators coaching staff.

He grew comfortable with them, the university and the plan in place for him and the team heading in year two under the regime.

"Florida has everything I wanted," he recalled thinking in the closing moments of his visit. "When I went to Gainesville, I had never been before and didn't really know what to expect. But, just seeing the atmosphere around campus, the facilities were amazing, the city itself seemed like it's really fun. I got to meet some of the players, we hung out, got to know a couple of them and they seemed like great guys.

"There was just a list of things that Florida checked in those two days I was there."

The consistency in communication played a significant role in the Gators' ascension to the top of his transfer options, as they were plentiful. He shared how multiple programs would contact him initially, sharing information about their school or working through the introduction phase before going ghost.

Florida, however, remained steadfast in connecting with the Washington, D.C., native.

"They made it known that I was a priority recruit and I genuinely appreciated that," Jarvis said.

First, it resulted in an in-home visit where Jarvis and his family met the Gators staff face-to-face for the first time. Their energy and past working in the Ivy League at Columbia created the foot in the door to secure his talents.

"I didn't really know any of the stuff prior, but they all worked at Columbia, so they all understood the Ivy League, which is, I think, definitely a plus," he said. "They understand where I'm coming from, from Yale."

Then, being lured to Gainesville to build the bond further, he grew closer to assistants Kevin Hovde and Carlin Hartman, namely, getting a sense of the program's mission from them. It aligned with his vision.

"Everybody said: 'Listen, we want to win.' Coming from a school that won three championships in three seasons at Yale, I want to try and get that fourth one," Jarvis detailed. "So, I shared their interest in winning, and I think that — with all the other things — really made it an easy decision."

The relentless pursuit of Golden and his cohorts for the Yale transfer was evident to him throughout the process, even before he scheduled his trip to the Sunshine State. 

Ultimately, that put Florida in a prime position to earn his commitment, which came on Friday. The program officially announced his transfer on Monday afternoon, becoming the team's first portal addition of the offseason.

Now, Jarvis will look to build off a senior season that brought the breakout production that eluded him since arriving at the collegiate level.

In three seasons played at Yale, Jarvis was the casualty of a limited role as a freshman and injuries as a junior. He appeared in just 32 games in his first three years of school combined before nearly matching that career total with 29 in 2022-23.

Serving as the team's leading rebounder and shot blocker while providing a tertiary scoring presence to teammates Matt Knowling and John Poulakidas, Jarvis produced career numbers while providing promising traits on tape to earn him the elevation to the Power Six this offseason.

"The senior year finale that happened this year, I couldn't have asked for a better ending to Yale," recalled Jarvis. "I got to play in all games, was healthy all season and really came into my own on the court. I think that's a big reason why I was able to get coaches calling like Florida, because I finally got a chance to show what I was capable of."

Averaging 11.4 points on 55% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc as a senior, Jarvis came into his own as a dynamic three-level scorer at 6-foot-8. Pairing that with impressive athleticism and shot-blocking ability, Jarvis is a perfect mold for the style of play Golden (defense), Hovde (offense) and Co. want to employ.

He fits the mold of two-way talents the Gators are scouring the market for.

"They're talking about trying to move the ball through the big at the top," Jarvis explained. "They're looking for someone that can shoot threes this year. Definitely want me shooting a lot, something that I expanded in my game last season. They're looking for a guy who is a defensive presence on the inside, so they really liked my ability to guard one through five and shot block. They're just looking for guys that can score when needed, guys who can go get a bucket, whether it be in the post or maybe a catch-and-shoot three. 

"I think I had all those things covered, which is why they reached out so fast."

Boasting the skillset of a new-age forward, Jarvis dominated opponents at points last season despite seeing a modest 22 minutes per game. His ability to excel in both on and off-ball situations is the versatility the Gators yearn to acquire heading into next season.

The true selling point for Florida to target Jarvis for that role was that his production didn't just come against the Ivy League opponents he faced. Instead, it also came against the teams he'll see each night with UF. 

The Bulldogs faced off against SEC competition twice last season, traveling to Kentucky in out-of-conference play before taking on Vanderbilt in the NIT. In those matchups, Jarvis averaged 10 points on 45% from the field, 7.5 rebounds and one assist per game in 24.5 minutes. 

Albeit a small sample size, his success provides confidence for his ability to do so on a nightly basis as the competition level becomes a norm.

He called on himself to continue bringing intensity to ensure he translates those outings to Florida, viewing himself as a potential Energizer Bunny for the unit. 

"I think one of the biggest things that I want to do is keep the intensity up. As Yale walking into Kentucky, we're the underdog. But, if we're walking into Kentucky and I'm wearing a Florida jersey, I want to win that game. Like, I don't see any reason why we couldn't. So I think that it's just keeping up the intensity. It's a good opportunity to play and I'm really looking forward to it."

Jarvis heads to Gainesville as a graduate transfer hoping to compete for and earn a starting job in his lone year with the team. 

Ideally, he would align as a stretch four in rotation with Alex Fudge — who saw starting time there at points last season. That would give him the best opportunity to utilize his skillset offensively, stretching beyond the three-point line to attack defenses from all three levels.

However, depending on the roster makeup, the Gators could use his length to occupy time at the five spot, where his defensive prowess to guard one through five and athleticism would prove beneficial in the post. 

The staff hasn't spoken on specifics for his placement in the lineup yet as they continue to search for more bodies to fill out the roster after eight departures from last year's team. 

However, they did share that they were looking for a multifaceted piece in the frontcourt to fill either void if needed during his recruitment.

Jarvis fit that billing. As a result, he's prepared to take on a mixture of roles in the upcoming year.

But, more importantly, in his eyes, he's in Gainesville to win, and he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that objective.

"I definitely want to win an SEC championship and go make a deep run in the tournament," Jarvis confidently said. "If I have to average five points and that means we get an SEC championship, then I'm doing that every day. 

"I'm someone who puts the team before themselves, and whatever my role is, whether that be score 10 a night, maybe 15, or even five with five assists and 10 rebounds, whatever I can do to help the team win, and do it in the most intense way possible, get everybody else to work hard, then that's what I'm doing.

"My goal here this year is to win. I want to get everybody else there. I'm excited about winning this year." 

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