Pair of Florida DB Transfers Visiting UCF

Florida defensive back transfers, rising redshirt sophomore safety Kamari Wilson and sixth-year senior Jadarrius Perkins, shared on Saturday that they are visiting the UCF Knights together on the first weekend of the 2023 winter transfer portal period.

Each player posted pictures of UCF's football training facility via social media amid their visit.

Wilson and Perkins are two of the 15 members of Florida's 2023 roster with known plans to transfer this offseason. Perkins entered the portal midseason as a graduate student, while Wilson was granted portal entry as an underclassman on Dec. 4.

Wilson, Florida's top-rated signee in its transitional 2022 recruiting class under then-newly-hired head coach Billy Napier, was removed from UF's depth chart ahead of its Week 4 matchup with Charlotte this season and did not take the field for the Gators again, leading to his postseason exit from the program.

"My family and I came to the decision for myself to redshirt after the third game this season so that I could retain another season of eligibility," Wilson wrote via social media on Thursday, commenting on the situation for the first time. "My decision was not based on any external factors that might have been floated around. I have the [utmost] respect for the Gators coaching staff, I just felt like I need to make a change!"

Wilson tallied 40 tackles including 1.5 for loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup over 16 appearances with the Gators, with 13 as a true freshman but only three in 2023, qualifying him for a redshirt this year.

Perkins, meanwhile, left the Gators a couple of weeks before Wilson was removed from the depth chart, having announced his plans to transfer during Week 2 of the 2023 campaign. Perkins' Week 1 role in Florida's defense was limited to only six snaps.

Over 23 appearances with UF as an outside and nickel cornerback, Perkins accumulated 40 tackles including three for loss, an interception and three pass breakups.

Notably, three former Florida players have transferred to UCF since the Knights defeated the Gators in the Dec. 2021 Gasparilla Bowl: Tight end Kemore Gamble, wide receiver Trent Whittemore and running back Demarkcus Bowman.

Florida will host UCF on Oct. 5, 2024, for the first matchup of a two-for-one series between the programs, which was agreed upon in 2021.

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