Major college football program loses six defensive backs to transfer portal

A major SEC football powerhouse is undergoing some notable unwelcome change on its roster as it brings on a new coaching regime in time for the 2026 season.

Jon Sumrall is poised to step onto the Florida Gators’ sideline starting next fall, but the transition from Billy Napier to his tenure has already resulted in key personnel losses on the field as players look for an exit via the college football transfer portal.

Exodus from the Swamp

Since the coaching change, the Gators have lost a reported total of 26 players from their roster through the portal, including a stunning six total defensive backs.

The latest was Aaron Gates, the redshirt sophomore secondary defender with plans to depart the Florida program and transfer to another school, according to On3 Sports.

That leaves Sumrall and the Gators without a half-dozen defensive backfield contributors, among the 22 total players who have exited the program already.

Included among that number are two starting safeties in Jordan Castell and Sharif Denson, alongside cornerbacks Teddy Foster, Josiah Davis, and Jameer Grimsley.

Defense is losing a lot

Ten of those outgoing Florida players are on the defensive side of the ball, including defensive linemen Tarvorise Brown and Michai Boireau, linebacker Grayson Howard, and edge rusher Jayden Woods.

High-profile players like quarterback DJ Lagway, a former five-star prospect, and one-time four-star wide receiver hopeful Eugene Wilson are also leaving Florida as transfers.

On the good side, the Gators are set to return corner Dijon Johnson and rising sophomore Lagonza Hayward, who took over Gates’ spot this past season after his injury.

Sumrall will dip into the portal

Sumrall is considered one of the most promising younger head coaches to emerge from the active 2025 coaching carousel, but he will have a tall task ahead of him replacing that outgoing talent.

It doesn’t sound like he’s averse to using the transfer portal to his own advantage.

“We will use the transfer portal. 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," Sumrall said earlier this month.

“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.”

Where the Gators ranked defensively

Florida’s defense ranked 10th among the 16 SEC teams this past season against the pass, allowing almost 223 air yards per game on average.

And the Gators were just 12th in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score 24 points per game each time out.

Nationally, Florida’s defense ranked 74th among the 136 FBS teams in passing defense, letting opposing quarterbacks complete nearly 64 percent of their pass attempts.

That figure included allowing 8.0 yards per pass attempt on average, although the Gators stiffened when in scoring position, ranking sixth nationally by surrendering just 13 passing touchdowns all year.

And they were top 20 in FBS when defending the red zone, allowing opponents to convert 75 percent of possessions into points.

How the college football transfer portal works

College football’s transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2, but that hasn’t stopped a flurry of players from entering their names for consideration at a new school right now.

The new 15-day transfer portal window from Jan. 2-16 and the elimination of the spring transfer period has condensed the timeline for players and programs to make their moves.

The NCAA Transfer Portal is a private database that includes the names of student-athletes in every sport at the Division I, II, and III levels. The full list of names is not available to the public.

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