For Mullen, Florida, the Transfer Portal Presents a Needs-Based Strategy

The Florida Gators have been winners of the portal for quite some time, and Dan Mullen's needs-based strategy is a key reason why.

The Florida Gators have become one of the premier teams to look at when it comes to the ever-evolving transfer portal.

At times, it has been used seemingly as a crutch for teams wanting to get a player that may have gotten away in a prior recruiting cycle.

For Florida, and head coach Dan Mullen, the transfer portal has been about filling a need, rather than adding a luxury, and so far that has turned out to be a successful strategy when it comes to the overall makeup of the Florida roster.

The transfer portal originally debuted in October of 2018. While Florida did not take advantage of any potential transfers during the first few months of its existence, in 2019 the Gators utilized it at least one time to add a player who would become one of the best of the Mullen era in BUCK/linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

Greenard quickly became one of the best defenders on the gridiron for the university, tallying 16 tackles-for-loss and 10 sacks through 11 games. Greenard would ultimately go on to be selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.

Certainly, the former Florida Gators pass rusher filled a need. Florida just lost one of its best pass rushers a year prior in Jachai Polite, and while the team did have Jabari Zuniga as a pass rusher, not only did he not play the same position as Greenard or Polite, he was also a player that dealt with injuries throughout his career at Florida.

This sort of needs-based strategy has always been something Florida has depended on, Mullen said on Tuesday at his spring football introductory press conference.

"I think if I go back to when I became a head coach 14 years ago and looking at junior college players and looking at other players throughout the years, we try to address needs with transfers more than just take transfers," said Mullen. "And so what ends up happening is maybe you look successful because instead of just saying, ‘This guy’s a great player and it doesn’t matter, just take him out of the transfer portal.’"

Mullen later said that there have been times when Florida could have landed a player of great value, but since he didn't fill a need, it wasn't a priority. This sort of strategy of not taking everything that's out there does pay off, too. Instead of having a luxury player at a position that's already stacked with depth, Florida can use the spot to fill a larger need, and that's what's most important to building a championship team.

"We don’t go to the transfer portal always just to create depth or to go get backups. We go get guys that we expect and we need to be impact players and play for us. And then when they get on the field and play for us, it appears you have more success that way."

Looking at the team's past transfer-portal pickups, it appears Mullen is correct. The Gator shave utilized the portal to not only address needs but to address them and have the players excel, adding to the program rather than becoming a backup.

Last year, for example, Florida set out to acquire guard Stewart Reese, who has since utilized an extra year of eligibility to play for Florida this year. The Gators were struggling a year prior at the right guard position, and with others departing, Reese filled one of the largest needs for the program on offense.

"If you get that transfer to come in - now it’s transfer portal more than junior colleges - but if you get that player to come in and then fill that need, we get a great player and they get that opportunity to get on the field right away and have success.”

Florida will see if that strategy continues to work this season. Having already brought in a former five-star running back in Lorenzo Lingard via the portal in 2020, the Gators set out to acquire yet another fascinating player in former Clemson running back Demarkcus Bowman, who is expected to play a major role with the Florida offense early in his career.

Florida also utilized the portal to bring in two defensive tackles in Daquan Newkirk and Antonio Shelton, two players that will be relied upon given the exodus of talent within the Florida interior defensive line due to NFL Draft declarations.

"They’re not expected to come in and just act like the new guy," said Mullen of both Newkirk and Shelton. "They got to learn the program and what it is fast, but we have very high expectations for them and they've really shown that. I mean one thing, we haven't been out on the field to see anything yet, to see them that way. But one thing I've really been pleased with is their attitude, their work ethic and the leadership that they're bringing."

Time will tell whether or not the team's most-recent additions via the portal will pay off, but certainly, it has appeared to do so in the past, and the needs-based strategy appears to be one of the best ways to go about it.