Florida Gators Biggest Needs, Early Potential Targets in Transfer Portal
Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Alex Shepherd
Billy Napier has been open and honest throughout his first offseason in Gainesville: The Florida Gators need more talent, and they intend to find some in the transfer portal this summer.
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At this time, the portal has yet to explode with post-spring camp entries. That is bound to change in the near future once the spring semester comes to an end, but UF may have to wait a little bit before diving in to add talent.
Still, the portal has added some new members this spring and some winter entrants remain available. Below, we've compiled the Gators' biggest needs from the portal this summer as well as some potential targets with either playing experience or a strong high school recruiting profile on their résumé.
This story will be updated as relevant players at positions of need enter the transfer portal.
Primary needs
Wide receiver
When two converted tight ends led UF in receiving yardage on Thursday night, it became clear that UF was lacking legitimate playmakers at wide receiver. In order for Anthony Richardson to find the most success, Florida is going to need to add speed to the receiver room quickly in the form of someone that can immediately contribute.
Justin Shorter and Trent Whittemore appear to be solid possession receivers who can make plays across the middle of the field, but the Gators' offense is lacking receivers with burning speed and/or after-the-catch playmaking ability.
As long as he remains in the portal, Louisville's Tyler Harrell will remain at the top of the board when it comes to wide receivers.
Harrell has been projected to go to Alabama since the moment he entered the portal but has yet to announce a commitment, and until he does, Florida needs to be in his ear. One of the fastest receivers in college football, Harrell averaged 29.1 yards per catch last year and hauled in six touchdowns.
UCF's Jaylon Robinson would be another ideal target. The former Oklahoma transfer entered the portal on Wednesday after catching 73 passes for 1,301 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two seasons with the Knights. He offers solid speed but has made his biggest impact by forcing missed tackles and extending plays.
Defensive tackle
Gervon Dexter is the man for the job at three-technique tackle, but Desmond Watson may need a tag-team partner at nose tackle to pair with Dexter on the Gators' interior defensive line.
Watson, although his frame still needs some work, is an effective run defender who could be suited for 25-30 snaps per game as a sophomore on early downs. Watson is going to need some breathers at his current size, though, and a pass-rushing tackle to rotate at his position would be a pretty solid set-up considering Watson's skill-set.
Currently, UF's in-house options to rotate with Watson are redshirt junior Jaelin Humphries, junior Jalen Lee, redshirt freshman Chris Thomas Jr. and true freshman Chris McClellan. Of that group, only Lee has found a way to contribute, posting 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in two seasons.
Perhaps Lee could ascend into a third-down nose tackle role — he looks like he can be a solid player with more playing time — but Florida would benefit greatly from adding a more proven commodity with better length and athleticism than what Lee provides at 6-foot-2, especially in a pass-rushing role.
Fortunately for UF, the portal does already offer a few players who fit the mold, and there should be more that enter the mix as we inch closer to summer.
Maryland's Darrell Jackson, who broke out as a freshman with 22 tackles, is an ideal candidate for the role at 6-foot-6, 274 pounds, and is freshly removed from visiting Florida for the spring game.
Ohio State's Jacolbe Cowan, who entered the portal on Monday after missing spring camp with an injury, is another intriguing prospect. He's a bit undersized to play interior defensive line full-time at 6-foot-4, 272 pounds and has very limited experience, but has shown the ability to rotate inside as a rusher and could do that for the Gators as well as contribute at defensive end.
Cowan was a four-star prospect in high school who UF linebackers coach Jay Bateman helped recruit to North Carolina in the class of 2020.
Alabama's Stephon Wynn reportedly entered the portal on Wednesday. He'd need a waiver to move to Florida as an intraconference transfer this late in the year, but as a former consensus top 75 recruit in the country, if Wynn can acquire the waiver, Florida should give him a call. He's been a rotational member of Alabama's defensive line for three seasons, tallying 16 tackles along the way.
Secondary needs
Offensive tackle
The starting five on Florida's offensive line is currently, from left to right, Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun, O'Cyrus Torrence and Michael Tarquin. That's not a bad lineup — in all honesty, it's a pretty good one, especially if Josh Braun is willing to stick around as the team's swing guard.
Gouraige, White, and Eguakun played well for UF in 2021 and Torrence was a two-time All-Sun Belt honoree in Napier's offense at Louisiana. Tarquin has appeared in 22 games in two years as UF's swing tackle, and while he's yet to prove himself as a starter, aligning next to Torrence appeared beneficial for Tarquin's performance in the spring game.
Bringing in a proven and/or starting-caliber offensive tackle isn't a necessity for Florida, but would be a luxurious move worth making if the right prospect arises. Amarius Mims, a former five-star recruit, would have been ideal addition because of his untapped potential if he didn't return to Georgia (and if he could have received an SEC waiver).
Unless a Mims-esque prospect enters the portal in the near future, UF may not need to look for a tackle in the portal. The staff already brought in a developmental tackle prospect in January, Kamryn Waites from Louisiana, so unless they target an experienced player to purely serve as a backup, this position may be lower on the list of priorities.
Offensive tackle has been a point of emphasis in 2023 recruiting, so the Gators could opt for top high school talent to develop fully on their own to rebuild the future of the offensive line.
The two most intriguing tackles currently in the portal are Jaylan Jeffers (Oregon) and Michael Statham (Pittsburgh), although neither player offers much when it comes to experience.
Tight end
One might think tight end is a primary need at this point, as UF moved two defensive tackles and an outside linebacker to that position in spring due to injuries. However, Dante Zanders and Noah Keeter performed admirably in the scrimmage and are likely to remain at tight end, while Jonathan Odom and Nick Elksnis are expected to recover from their injuries by fall camp.
With Keon Zipperer and incoming freshmen Tony Livingston, Hayden Hansen and Arlis Boardingham in the mix, Florida is set to have eight tight ends on the roster come the 2022 season, so long as Zanders and Keeter stick around. Numbers won't be an issue here.
But will talent and experience?
Of the group, only Zipperer has meaningful playing time on his résumé, having caught 25 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons at UF. Zanders and Keeter may offer some promise, but have yet to be seen in a non-exhibition setting within this offense.
The Gators are hopeful that Odom and Elksnis can fill roles once they're healthy, but both players fell behind in the installation of the offense by missing out on practice reps.
Florida doesn't need to add a tight end from the transfer portal due to a lack of pure roster depth, in fact, a player may need to exit the room if anything in order to balance out numbers across the offense. But if a stud tight end makes it into the portal, UF could be inclined to bring them in to bolster the top of the depth chart.
Although they haven't produced much yet in college, Alabama's Caden Clark and Michigan State's Parks Gissinger could be prospects worth monitoring at tight end due to their connections to the Gators' coaching staff. Of course, Napier is close with Nick Saban from his time with the Crimson Tide as it pertains to Clark, while UF TEs coach William Peagler was on the Michigan State staff from 2020-21, a strong tie for Gissinger.
Tertiary needs
Backup quarterback
UF's quarterback room is soon to be balanced out with four members for the 2022 season, following Emory Jones' and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson's portal entry and with Max Brown expected to enroll over the summer.
However, the spring game suggested a major concern at quarterback for Florida: As of now, the Gators seem unprepared for the possibility of Anthony Richardson suffering an injury.
Jack Miller III and Jalen Kitna's production left much to be desired on the field during the Orange and Blue game, combining to throw for two interceptions and struggling with ball placement throughout the night. Miller completed 13-of-23 passes for 121 yards against the second-team defense while Kitna went 0-of-3 in limited action.
Given Miller's transfer into the program from Ohio State in January, it is highly unlikely UF brings in another transfer at the position this season. The Gators will continue to develop Miller as the quarterback No. 2 and hope that Richardson remains healthy to remain competitive this season after an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.
That being said, this is a situation similar to offensive tackle: If a seasoned quarterback enters the portal who has game experience under his belt, unlike Miller, but would be willing to entertain a backup role, UF may be wise to pursue that passer.
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