Envisioning Roles for Florida's 2024 Transfers: LB Grayson 'Pup' Howard
Florida leaned into the winter transfer portal to upgrade its roster for the second offseason in a row, securing a dozen college football veterans to bolster the Gators' roster entering the 2024 offseason.
All Gators is projecting roles for each transfer acquisition. Up next is South Carolina linebacker transfer Grayson "Pup" Howard, who joins Florida with up to four years of eligibility remaining, although he sacrificed a freshman season redshirt with the Gamecocks.
From Jacksonville, Fla., Howard was a priority recruit of Florida's and a consensus top-200 prospect overall in the class of 2023. The previous Gators coaching staff offered him a scholarship in September 2021, and Billy Napier's crew of assistants picked the recruitment up where it was left off upon their December 2021 arrival in Gainesville.
But after tallying over 300 tackles including 31 for loss between his junior and senior seasons at Andrew Jackson High School, Howard signed with South Carolina, finalizing a six-month commitment to the school despite a strong, continual push from Florida through the end of his recruitment.
"I think with Pup, we were really close, like one phone call away in the beginning," Napier described Howard's original recruitment to Florida on Wednesday.
Howard went on to occupy a meaningful role in the Gamecocks' linebacker rotation as a freshman, appearing in all but one matchup and logging 20 defensive snaps per game on average. He recorded 19 tackles with one for loss and one forced fumble across those opportunities, adding four quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Not long after his rookie campaign, however, Howard realized his desire to finish his college career elsewhere. He entered the NCAA transfer portal on the final day of the winter transfer window, Jan. 2, and committed to Florida on Jan. 4.
Following the transfer exit of 2023 starting Gators linebacker Scooby Williams, who now represents Texas A&M, a first-team position at the second level of Florida's defense has opened for Howard and other contributors to contend for, next to rising junior Shemar James.
Teradja Mitchell's departure from the unit after the exhaustion of his college eligibility has also created a hole in the team's linebacker depth that will need to be filled.
Redshirt senior Mannie Nunnery, who started in place of the injured James to conclude 2023, senior Derek Wingo, a valuable depth piece and spot-starter at the position in recent years, redshirt sophomore Deuce Spurlock, sophomore Jaden Robinson, and freshmen Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles will challenge for the vacated responsibilities, too.
Graham and Chiles, in particular, offer significant long-term potential as consensus top-75 signings from the 2024 recruiting cycle.
But by understanding the Florida coaching staff's long-standing desire to acquire Howard's talents, paired with his considerable playing experience within the Southeastern Conference obtained as a freshman, it can be anticipated that he will seize a substantial function in the Gators' defense sooner rather than later.
With his remaining eligibility in mind, Florida would hope that Howard will make a positive impact defensively for seasons to come.
"Pup [is] walking around here at 6-foot-4, 240 [pound] inside 'backer, you know, and just the intelligence that he brings, the character, the work ethic, I mean the guy is wired right. He’s what you want," Napier said. "So, we need more of that, we’ve got to keep the good players in our state at home and it’s a good win for us to get him back.”
Find All Gators' previous transfer role projections, for defensive back Trikweze Bridges, defensive lineman Joey Slackman, offensive lineman Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, wide receiver Chimere Dike, edge rusher Brien Taylor Jr. and quarterback Clay Millen, below.
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