Florida Gators Add Auburn DT Transfer Daquan Newkirk
In an attempt to anchor down the trenches with experienced talent, Florida has added another graduate transfer to the defensive front in the form of Daquan Newkirk.
After announcing his intentions to transfer just four days ago, Newkirk spent little time finding a new place to settle, with the opportunity of returning to his home state of Florida being too big of an opportunity to gloss over.
"It's an honor to be coming home," Newkirk stated in his announcement tweet.
Electing to take his talents from Auburn to Gainesville for the 2021 season, Newkirk utilizes the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, allowing him one last season to showcase his talents at the collegiate level.
Starting his career out at the junior college ranks for Mississippi Coast Community College, the now 6-foot-3, 317-pound defensive tackle got his shot with Auburn following just one stellar year of JUCO. A year in which he recorded 48 tackles and 9 TFL.
Upon his arrival to Auburn, Newkirk faced injury setbacks that would derail him in the early stages of his Division-1 career. However, battling back in years two and three, Newkirk went on to participate in 30 games over three years at Auburn, accounting for 40 total tackles, including five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.
Seeing action in 12 games in 2019 that would spring him to find his groove in his final season with the Tigers, the Orlando (Fla.) native was thrust into a starting role due to injuries along the defensive front of Auburn. As a result, Newkirk managed to take advantage of his opportunity, totaling 28 tackles—three for loss—and one sack on the year.
With his transfer to Florida being the second defensive tackle to join the Gators roster in the early portions of this offseason—alongside Penn State transfer Antonio Shelton—the Gators continue to add depth to a unit that looked uncharacteristically thin going into 2021.
Having ties to the Florida coaching staff, specifically Wesley McGriff, who served as the secondary coach through Newkirk's Auburn career, the decision to travel back home to familiar faces comes as no surprise.
Losing multi-year starting defensive lineman Kyree Campbell and (presumably) Tedarrell Slaton, Newkirk will be called upon to bring consistency and experience to the interior of the Gators line in rotation with the young talents of Gervon Dexter and Jalen Lee.