Gators Land Commitment From Former Baylor Defensive Lineman

The Florida Gators land another commit who opted to transfer out from Baylor during the offseason

The Florida Gators bring in a defender from the Power Four ranks to Gainesville | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

With the transfer portal opening Friday, the Florida Gators wasted no time retooling their roster for the upcoming season.

While in Gainesville for a weekend visit, former Baylor defensive lineman DK Kalu announced he will transfer to Florida.

Committed 🐊 pic.twitter.com/WU9S8wrBkV

— DK Kalu🇳🇬🤴🏿 (@dk_kalu) January 5, 2026

The redshirt sophomore announced that he would be transferring on Dec.12.

Kalu saw action in nine games this season, totaling 11 tackles, a hurry and half a tackle for loss through six starts.

His best game of the season came against Cincinnati, when he totaled three tackles while finishing with a 59.5 PFF grade.

According to 247 Sports’ transfer rankings, the 6-foot-4, 309-pound defensive lineman is a three-star prospect and the 45th-best player available at his position.

Coming out of high school, he was a consensus three-star recruit and was ranked as the No.23 defensive lineman in the nation and the No.69 overall prospect in the state of Texas.

Throughout his career at Ridge Point High School, he totaled 93 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss and three sacks.

Kalu appeared in three games and made one start as a redshirt freshman in 2024, finishing the season with one tackle. After taking just 46 snaps in 2024, he saw his playing time increase substantially while playing 281 snaps this year.

His father, N.D. Kalu spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and Houston Texans while totaling 195 tackles and 31 sacks throughout his career.

With Caleb Banks entering the NFL Draft and Michai Boireau in the transfer portal, Florida could benefit from some extra depth in their defensive line rotation. While Kalu may not be a consistent starter yet, he has accrued some meaningful game experience with two seasons of action now under his belt.

The Gators managed to land both Baylor players they hosted this weekend. Safety DJ Coleman committed to Florida on Sunday. Through three seasons at Baylor, Coleman totaled 89 tackles and two interceptions. Last season, he finished with 46 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions.

Besides Kalu, Florida also had several other visitors in town, including Georgia Tech transfer quarterback Aaron Philo and receiver Bailey Stockton, James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre, New Mexico tight end Dorian Thomas, Penn State offensive lineman DJ Shanahan and Eagan Boyer and Jacksonville State defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyabadejo.

As the transfer portal-related chaos continues to unfold, Gators on SI will continue providing updates for all moves relevant to Florida.