Napier: Gators To Be Aggressive in Transfer Portal, ‘We Need Players’
Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Zach Goodall
The Florida Gators are not going to shy away from the NCAA Transfer Portal this spring and heading into fall, head coach Billy Napier made that much clear on Thursday when speaking to reporters following the football program's first scrimmage under its new regime.
"We took over a program, we've had a number of things that have caused attrition on our team," Napier said. "I mean, we're literally going to give five walk-ons scholarships this spring. So, we have spots available. So, the University of Florida, you can anticipate us being very aggressive in the portal this spring, we need players."
Since taking over the program in December of last year, Napier has seen six players transfer out, including most recently, quarterback Emory Jones. That has caused a bit of attrition to the roster, putting Florida in a precarious position as far as what to do in order to fill the holes that have been created.
"Now, I think the approach is going to be, you know, acquire as many good players as we can at any position, right? So, you know, we're thin and we need help in a lot of different spots," Napier added.
Along with players that have transferred out of the program, the team has also suffered numerous injuries, particularly to its tight end position.
At least three players have missed time within the unit due to injuries including Nick Elksnis, Jonathan Odom and most recently Gage Wilcox, who suffered what Napier described as a "career-ending" injury in spring. Napier also indicated that the inside linebacker and safety rooms are areas of concern due to being "thin" at those positions.
"We’re just a couple [of] players away here from not being able to practice the way we want to," he said. "When a long snapper catches a pass, you’re being creative to find a way to get it done.”
Florida already targeted a few players in the transfer portal earlier this year, bringing in former Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Jalen Kimber as well as former University of Louisiana running back Montrell Johnson and offensive linemen O'Cyrus Torrence and Kamryn Waites.
Still, there's going to be plenty more for Florida to bring in and it's clear Napier isn't afraid to do it.
"We anticipate doing a lot of business and we're looking forward to it."
During the team's scrimmage, Napier says there were probably 25 to 30 plays that the program couldn't run, that it would typically do, due to injuries. The team is missing the "third group" on its depth chart to simply be able to function.
Though the team is clearly suffering through a lot of bumps in the road, Napier takes the positive outlook approach and sees opportunities for other players to take advantage of the situation.
"You can sit around and complain about those things but to me, I see opportunity. That’s the approach we’re going to take.”
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