Transfer Portal DL Commits to Florida Day After Another Flips from Gators

The Florida Gators have added a transfer to its defensive line room a day after another flipped to Colorado.

The Florida Gators have added a transfer to its defensive line room a day after another flipped to Colorado. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- A day after losing a commitment from defensive lineman Samu Taumanupepe in the transfer portal, the Florida Gators have already received a pledge from a different portal defensive lineman.

Southern Miss transfer Mason Clinton on Sunday committed to Florida fresh off a visit with the Gators. Clinton (6-5, 300) spent one season with the Golden Eagles after stints at Louisiana, Mississippi State and JUCO East Mississippi and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

He chose Florida over Oregon and Baylor, both of which he visited before the Gators.

BREAKING: Southern Miss transfer DL Mason Clinton has Committed to Florida, he tells @On3

The 6’5 300 DL totaled 16 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 PD this season

He’ll have 2 years of eligibility lefthttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/6R96php2N5

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2026

Clinton is coming off a 16-tackle season at Southern Miss, including 1.5 tackles for loss with one pass deflected. He joined the Golden Eagles as the No. 29 JUCO player and No. 11 defensive tackle in the class of 2025, according to On3, after a strong stint at East Mississippi Community College. At EMCC in 2024, he played in seven games, earning 27 tackles and two sacks

His time at EMCC came after a one-year stint at Louisiana, where he played in one game and earned a redshirt, and a brief stint at Mississippi State. He did not play a single game with the Bulldogs and ended up at EMCC for the 2024 season.

Clinton is Florida's third current defensive lineman in the 2026 transfer class after Taumanupepe flipped to Colorado on Saturday. The Gators signed Baylor transfer DK Kalu and Jacksonville State transfer Emmanuel Oyebadejo on the interior defensive line.

The Gators had significant needs on the defensive line both for contributors and for emergency depth after contributors Michai Boireau (Ole Miss) and Brien Taylor Jr. and reserve Tarvorise Brown (North Carolina) transferred and starter Caleb Banks graduated. Florida retained nose tackles Jamari Lyons and Joseph Mbatchou, three-technique tackle Jeramiah McCloud and versatile defender Brenden Bett through Jon Sumrall's hiring as head coach, while also signing four-star Kendall Guervil out of the high school ranks.

Florida's 2026 transfer class is now up to 27 players with Clinton's commitment, which marks the fourth day in a row the Gators have added a transfer to its roster.

"We will use the transfer portal," Sumrall said on Dec. 1. "If you've studied my rosters the last couple years, I haven't had the resources to keep very many of my good players. They all end up getting poached. So I've had to embrace the transfer portal probably more than most, maybe even more than I'd like to at times, by necessity. But we will use the portal to enhance our team and to supplement where there may be holes or deficiencies."

The transfer portal officially closed on Friday, but Florida can continue to recruit players currently in the portal. Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of Florida's portal moves here.