Former Gators CB Jahari Rogers Announces Transfer to SMU
Former Florida Gators cornerback Jahari Rogers announced his transfer to Southern Methodist on Thursday evening.
Rogers entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 31 after spending one season at UF. The Arlington, Texas native enrolled at Florida last spring as a consensus top-100 prospect in the class of 2020, and appeared in three games during his true freshman season.
Returning much closer to home, Rogers could be expected to take on a role early in his Mustang career as a top athlete from the Dallas area. Rogers tallied two tackles and a pass breakup in two showings with the Gators, earning defensive snaps against Alabama in the SEC Championship and Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
Florida's cornerback room has seen an influx of young talent alongside Rogers that leaves the program in fine shape following Rogers' departure. The veterans at outside corner at this point are juniors Kaiir Elam and Jaydon Hill, with true freshman Jason Marshall Jr. being widely anticipated to push for significant snaps in year one. Redshirt freshmen Ethan Pouncey and Avery Helm, true freshman Jordan Young, and redshirt senior/walk-on Patrick Moorer fill in as depth and could take on a role as well.
It wouldn't come as a surprise to see Florida pursue experienced defensive backs in the transfer portal prior to the 2021 season, however. The Gators were in the mix for former West Virginia All-American safety Tykee Smith before he committed to Georgia.
