Gators Sign National Champion WR Out of Transfer Portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators' moves in the transfer portal are still not complete as the program continues to add to its 2026 roster. On Monday, Indiana transfer receiver Ace Ciongoli signed with the Gators, fresh off winning a College Football Playoff national championship with the Hoosiers.

Ciongoli (5-11, 190 pounds) spent one season at Indiana, recording zero snaps, and will have all four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting in 2025. He will be a preferred walk-on at Florida.

BREAKING: Florida has signed Indiana transfer WR Ace Ciongoli out of the transfer portal.

Four years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/8VhaWyE6Ai
— Cam Parker (@camparker25) January 26, 2026

Ciongoli is Florida's 30th incoming transfer this offseason and fifth receiver following Bailey Stockton (Georgia Tech), Micah Mays (Wake Forest), Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn) and Jaylen Lloyd (Oklahoma State).

Singleton Jr. projects as the instant-impact player in the group to pair with returning second-years Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III, while the rest of the group competes for spots in the rotation.

New head coach Jon Sumrall has all but finalized its first roster with the program, now putting the finishing touches on the team with what is left in the transfer portal. Despite the portal officially closing on Jan. 16, the Gators can continue to add players currently in the portal to the roster.

Still, with the roster largely complete, the additions, if any, will happen sparingly, leaving some uncertainty for Sumrall heading into his first season.

"You never really fully know until you go through spring practice and get in the season," Sumrall said of his evaluation of the portal class on Saturday. "I think we had some areas of need that we maybe fulfilled. I think we had some areas of need where we got to figure out where we at. You never really know. "

There's also the issue of not having a second portal window after spring camp, which was removed after NCAA rule changes this past year. It's something Sumrall has used to finishing building rosters at both Troy and Tulane and said that not having it is "a little bit more daunting."

"I'm not gonna have any opportunity to watch this team practice and go correct in the second portal," he said. "We just gotta watch them practice it and try to fix it if it's or make somebody better, or maybe move guys around. So that's a little bit more unnerving. I wouldn't be upset as a first-year head coach if we had the second portal window."

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of Florida's portal moves, including quick notes on the 30 additions, here.

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