Gators Officially Announce Transfers, RB Demarkcus Bowman Headlines

While the Florida Gators have underwhelmed in some aspects of recruiting, the supplemental additions via the transfer portal have certainly become a form of offset for the program.

Today, Florida announced the addition of four of their expected transfers, including defensive linemen Dylan Meeks (Akron), Daquan Newkirk (Auburn), Antonio Shelton (Penn State) and headliner, running back Demarkcus Bowman (Clemson).

The Gators had a huge need with its defensive line position due to the departure of defensive linemen Kyree Campbell, Tedarrell Slaton and Marlon Dunlap, with the woes the program had defensively last season, their losses will be felt heavily, but with the additions of Meeks, Newkirk and Shelton, their losses may not be felt as significantly as expected.

Meeks, 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, recorded 53 tackles (17 solos), 0.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss across 33 games in his career. Meeks played his high school ball at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Fla, before taking his talents up north to Akron.

Newkirk, 6-foot-3, 282 pounds, saw action at defensive tackle in 30 games with Auburn from 2018-20, logging 40 tackles (12 solo), 5.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks.

Shelton, 6-foot-2, 327 pounds looks to make an immediate impact as a graduate transfer. A force against the run, Shelton appeared in 40 games for Penn State, and recorded 51 tackles (17 solo), 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 sacks.

Bowman, the transfer-class headliner, comes in at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds. Coming out of high school, Bowman was billed as the No. 4 ranked running back in the state of Florida, and the No. recruit in the country, according to ESPN. He will likely receive early playing time as Florida transitions to a new system dependent on the run.

The Gators will continue to add players via the transfer portal. Last week, the program added former LSU tight end Arik Gilbert, though he has not yet officially been added to the Florida roster for the 2021 season. He will be in short time, however.

Don't be surprised to see Florida continue adding players as the program wraps up its 2021 recruiting cycle.