Arizona State DT Jermayne Lole Schedules Florida Gators Visit

Arizona State defensive tackle transfer Jermayne Lole has scheduled a visit to Florida on May 20, he announced on Friday.

#GoCards 🔴⚪️May 13th#GoGators 🐊 May 20th#WreckEm ⚫️🔴May 27th #ScoDucks 🦆 June 3rd
— Jermayne Tauinaola Lole🇦🇸 (@JermayneLole) May 6, 2022

UF will be the second stop on Lole's near-month-long trek throughout the country, following Lousiville on May 13, Texas Tech on May 27 and Oregon on June 3.

Lole, a rising redshirt senior and Long Beach (Calif.) native, entered the transfer portal on May 1, reportedly to explore his Name, Image and Likeness value according to Sun Devil Source.

A multi-year starter for Arizona State dating back to his emergence as a true freshman, Lole was named the No. 2 defensive tackle in the nation entering the 2021 season by Pro Football Focus. Lole ended up missing the entire campaign, sidelined by a triceps injury that occurred in fall training camp.

Arizona State’s defense underwent a scheme tweak in 2020, which moved Lole from a versatile role that predominantly saw him on the edge to more of an every-down 3-technique. And that paid big dividends, as expected. He was one of the 10 highest-graded Power Five defensive linemen against the run when playing defensive tackle in 2019.

That remained the case in 2020, but he was even better against the run and looked far more polished as a pass-rusher. In fact, Lole was the third-highest-graded Power Five defensive linemen when playing 3-technique this past season. The fact that he played only four games in 2020 and still came away with 18 pressures and 17 defensive stops is quite impressive.

In 28 career appearances, Lole has compiled 123 tackles, 11 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, eight batted passes and two forced fumbles.

Florida has a major need at defensive tackle as the position lacks proven depth. Rising sophomore Desmond Watson is better suited as an early-down run stopper at this point in his career, meaning Lole could immediately earn playing time as a late-down pass-rusher next to Gervon Dexter should he elect to transfer to Florida.

This isn't the first time a Sun Devils transfer has flirted with Florida, nor vice versa, this offseason. Arizona State wide receiver Ricky Pearsall visited UF in late April and the Gators have reportedly emerged as one of his finalists. On Thursday, meanwhile, UF's 2021 starting quarterback Emory Jones announced that he would transfer to ASU.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.