Florida Lands Penn DT Transfer Joey Slackman
Florida's lack of a defensive line coach has proven to be no issue over the past two weeks, as the Gators have added several commits to the frontline since Sean Spencer's Nov. 27 release.
On Sunday, highly regarded Penn transfer Joey Slackman became the third, pledging himself to the University of Florida a week removed from an official stay in Gainesville Dec. 8-10.
"The brand of the Gators is unlike a lot of other places," Slackman told All Gators immediately removed from his official visit on Sunday. "The coaches did a really good job of explaining the plan that they have moving forward to turn this thing around and where they see me fitting in their defense and being a part of this thing."
He chose Florida over other members of his unofficial top five schools: Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Slackman joins high school nose tackle Michai Boireau and JUCO edge rusher Brien Taylor Jr. as defensive line prospects to commit to Florida in December.
As a three-year starter with the Quakers, Slackman accounted for 115 tackles, 25 TFLs, 11 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, eight QB hits and one blocked kick.
His uber-productive output and disruptiveness as a versatile defensive lineman earned the Ivy League standout considerable praise prior to taking the open market in search of a move up the competition ladder this offseason.
As a result, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman drew widespread intrigue from a myriad of powerhouse Power Five institutions in college football, including but not limited to Arizona, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Oregon State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, TCU, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington and Wisconsin.
The Gators accordingly made early contact with the talented trenchman to lure him to campus for an official stay following an initial trek to Wisconsin. During that trip, Florida’s pitch went a long way in ultimately sealing the deal with the coveted high-upside prospect.
When Slackman arrives on campus, he'll initially hone in on rehabilitating a bicep injury suffered during the 2023 season.
"I had surgery on my bicep," he explained. "I tore it in our second-to-last game. I had surgery three weeks ago."
The Gators were made aware of the injury during his official visit weekend, as he sported a sling during his trip to Gainesville, but they felt comfortable taking the Slackman after conversing about the hurt and timeline for return.
The Commack, N.Y., native said he "should be cleared for spring ball."
Slackman joins LJ McCray, Amaris Williams and Boireau as defensive line prospects currently set to join the Gators roster in 2024.
Slackman will occupy a high-volume role in the team's interior defensive line rotation alongside Cam'Ron Jackson — who recently announced his return to Florida for his senior year — Caleb Banks, Desmond Watson and Jamari Lyons are also expected to contribute upfront in the ensuing campaign.
Former Buchholz defensive lineman Gavin Hill, a rising sophomore, will provide depth to the unit.
Despite the graduate transfer's alignment with the Gators, UF is not done adding pieces to the defensive trenches via the transfer portal.
Florida will likely entertain other prospective portal talent at the spot, with up to three spots open following rising junior Chris McClellan's departure this offseason.
Slackman now fills one of those voids.
He becomes the second transfer addition for the Gators on Sunday, joining former San Diego State offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson.
Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
