Gators' George Gumbs Jr. Pens Goodbye, Declares for NFL Draft

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After a strong two-year career with the Florida Gators, edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. is set to move on from the program and pursue a career in the NFL.

Gumbs Jr., who was already out of eligibility, penned his goodbye and gave thanks to both Florida and Northern Illinois, where he began his career, while declaring for April's draft.

"To my teammates from both NIU and Florida, I appreciate every bond I created with all of you, and every memory with y'all boys will be cherished forever," he wrote. "Lastly, I would like to thank the NIU and Florida coaching staffs for taking a chance on me, believing in me and developing me into the person I am today."

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— George Gumbs JR (@GeorgeGumbs) December 30, 2025

Gumbs Jr. represented one of the most impressive stories during the Billy Napier era of Florida football, rising from a walk-on receiver at Northern Illinois to one of Florida's top play-makers at edge rusher.

Walking on as a receiver at Northern Illinois in 2021, he redshirted and then transitioned to tight end in 2022, recording four catches for 44 yards. In 2023, he made another position change to defensive end and broke out tremendously.

Playing in 12 games with seven-consecutive starts to end the season, he recorded 32 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, where he landed at Florida for his final two years of eligibility.

Appearing in all 13 games in 2024, Gumbs Jr. solidified himself as one of the top defenders with 35 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks. His tackles for loss and sacks were each second on the team. He added 31 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 10 games in 2025.

“You know, going through what I went through, I never, like, thought of it as a bad thing, like, it was bad that I walked on," he reflected heading into the season. "I was like, when I look back at it, it's like, I'm glad that happened. I learned so many valuable lessons, like, you know, how to work hard, you know, being under people, how to learn from somebody like a veteran, you know, take coaching. So I learned a lot of lessons, like just going through that journey.”

Now, Gumbs enters his next journey as he hopes to hear his name called during the 2026 NFL Draft, which opens with the First Round on April 23 and closes on April 25.

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