The Florida Gators are one club that ought to be using the transfer portal to reload and retool, as do other teams. The Gators had a dismal 5-7 record at the end of 2023 and failed to qualify for a bowl game. That is totally unacceptable for a program that has won numerous national awards.
The transfer portal is a great way for the Gators to reshape their roster with over 3,000 players already having entered. The question then becomes: Who should Florida football pursue in the portal to vault them back into contention?
One position on the field the Gators are going to have to find in the transfer portal is edge rusher. That is because Florida’s best pass rusher, Princely Umanmielen, is himself in the portal.
Umanmielen led the team with seven sacks this season and had 4.5 sacks the year prior. None of his teammates managed more than 2.5 sacks in 2023. Umanmielen was also tied for fourth on the team in total tackles on the season with 39. He’s a complete player, so losing Umanmielen would be a big blow to Florida’s defense.
Perhaps the Gastors can replace him with arguably the best pass rusher in the portal in UTSA’s Trey Moore. Moore is a busy man in the portal these days. He’s set to visit Alabama this weekend, per Pete Nakos of On3 Sports. Nakos also reported that Moore called off a visit with Ohio State, so if Moore is doing that, then maybe Florida isn’t exactly in the running.
But the Gators really needs him and have a history of sending edge rushers to the NFL. It may be a long shot, but Florida should be doing everything in their power to bring a player of Moore’s caliber to Gainesville.
Etienne was second on the team in rushing yards behind Montrell Johnson, a transfer from Louisiana a couple years ago. But Etienne was more efficient than Johnson as both a runner and receiver. Johnson has another year of eligibility, so perhaps Etienne is looking for a spot where he can be the lead guy. That may be the case, but Florida still would need another back to take some of the load off Johnson.
Enter AJ Green. Green is not even the best running back to enter the transfer portal from the University of Arkansas (that would be Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, who announced he is transferring to the University of South Carolina), but he has been a very solid change-of-pace back for the Hogs the last couple of seasons. The Gators should be familiar with his game; Green caught a touchdown against them this past season in Arkansas’ 34-32 win over the Gators.
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