How Transfer WR Jaylen Lloyd Impacts Florida's WR Room

While the Florida Gators' decorated track and field program hasn’t struggled to bring elite athletes to the University of Florida, Mike Holloway might be jealous of the recruiting haul Jon Sumrall and the Gators’ new football staff added at the wide receiver position in the transfer portal cycle this offseason.

Though Florida’s addition of wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. dominated headlines and the speed of the Auburn transfer has already garnered attention early on in his time on campus, the former Georgia Tech Track and Field member, with a personal best 10.34 100-meter time, is not the only Gators transfer addition to bring blazing acceleration to the Gainesville gridiron ahead of 2026.

Instead, Singleton’s speed may be put to the test this spring, with former Oklahoma State wideout Jaylen Lloyd ready to push for the ‘fastest on the team’ acknowledgment.

“Shoot, we'll see.” Gators new outside wide receivers coach Marcus Davis said on if Lloyd could match Singleton’s speed. “We hadn't got to that point (of a race) yet, I'm sure that will come up though. I'm sure it will.”

Eric Singleton Jr.'s speed was showcased during his stops at Georgia Tech and Auburn. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Like Singleton, Lloyd also competed in track and field at the collegiate level, primarily participating in the long jump event during his time at Nebraska. As a senior in high school, he would receive a Gators offer from Holloway and the track and field program, yet not football, recording a 10.47 personal best in the 100-meter and showcasing the explosive pace that, with Singleton, could make up arguably the fastest receiving duo in the entire nation.

Combined with the young and extremely talented overall Gators unit, led by rising sophomores Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III, the unique speed of Lloyd and Singleton will be just another weapon for offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner in his first year in Gainesville.

“I want to be able to push the field vertically, horizontally, over the middle, every which way we can... Whatever it takes," Faulkner said. "The thing about receivers is usually they're the fastest guys on the team, and you can kind of look at what we've done in the past is ‘how do we get them the ball in space so they can make plays?’

“We're always going to get those guys involved because they're the guys you can either throw short and run long or maybe pitch it to them and get an explosive play. So, they're going to be a part of what we do."

For Singleton, Faulkner’s creative scheming and ability to deploy such speed is quite familiar, spending his first two seasons under the play-caller during his time as a Yellow Jacket. In such span, he would record back to back seasons with over 700 receiving yards as a true freshman and sophomore, becoming known as one of the more explosive threats in the ACC conference.

“Top-end speed. He's an Olympic fast-type runner. He can run-run,” Sumrall said. “He can take the top off of coverage, and he's a guy that you get the ball in his hands and see if a guy makes a tackle in space versus him, it's hard.”

Similarly, Lloyd would also immediately establish himself as a premier deep threat early in his collegiate career, averaging 25.9 yards per catch on 19 receptions in two seasons at Nebraska while earning an unheard-of 99.9 PFF grade on targets 20 or more yards down field in 2023.

Unlike Singleton however, the redshirt sophomore comes to Florida far more unknown, playing just one snap with the Cowboys after transferring to OSU in 2025.

“Looking at Jaylen, he had two good years and has made plays at the Power Four level, and we like guys that are fast. So you’re able to add another guy who has legit track speed, but he’s also made plays at the Power Four level," inside receivers coach Trent McKnight said on the new addition. “So, excited for a guy who is experienced, but the other thing for him, from what I’ve seen, is he’s hungry to come in and be coached.

"Whether it’s our strength staff or us or whoever it may be, he wants to evolve, he wants to get better. Even during the recruiting process, talking to him, like, that’s what we wants. He’s got a growth mindset. He wants to be coached. So, excited to have him here.”

Jaylen Lloyd's speed will be a key factor as he fights for a spot in the Gators' receiver rotation. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

As Florida heads into 2026 and the new Gators team finally prepares to line up across from each other on the spring practice field, Lloyd and Singleton may first need to line up across from each other on the track. Regardless of the outcome, both will surely be faster than most defensive backs they will face in the new year, giving the Gators offense another exciting element as Sumrall and Faulkner look to bring explosiveness back to the offensive side of the ball in Gainesville.

“On offense, when I think of Florida football, I think of aggressive, I think of explosive, I think about mixing tempos, using it to your advantage, and dictating the game to the opponent,” Sumrall said on his vision for Florida’s attack after getting the job. “I think about stretching the field and threatening every blade of grass.”

The duo will definitely give the Gators that ability in 2026, making an already talented offense more dangerous heading into the new season.