Former Florida Gators edge rusher Princely Umanmielen is officially uniting with Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss to play out his final season of collegiate eligibility, he announced via social media on Friday. His pledge confirms several reports regarding his potential move to Oxford.
In 45 games with the Gators, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound edge rusher accounted for 99 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and three forced fumbles. He’ll look to build on his success with Pete Golding and the Rebels in 2024. A surprise signee to Florida out of high school, Umanmielen presented a highly talented defensive end piece with the potential to bloom into a key cog in the defense, then led by Todd Grantham.
In the first year of Billy Napier’s tenure as head coach, Umanmielen was catapulted into a major starting role after two years of delayed development, providing play-caller Patrick Toney with two reliable edge rushers to rely on. As a result, he noticed an increase in output and demonstrated his remarkable pass-rushing abilities at a faster tempo by combining power and bend. 39 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles were his total at the end of the season. The Manor, Texas, native then moved from the strongside defensive end position to the standup edge rusher (JACK) role ahead of the 2023 season with Napier and Austin Armstrong. Umanmielen’s development benefited by the move, as he recorded a career-high 39 tackles, including tackles
Instead of taking that route, though, Umanmielen went through the transfer portal in an attempt to improve his draft stock and become a first-choice pick. At Ole Miss, he plans to do just that. With Umanmielen gone, Florida now lacks a JACK edge rusher. TJ Searcy, a true freshman who experienced an increase in use over the year despite early downs, is the most likely candidate to replace Umanmielen in the starting lineup in 2024. Although depth at the position is currently unknown, the Gators have added young edges like Kelby Collins, Kamran James, and Jack Pyburn since Napier moved to Gainesville. Every player had a position at Florida’s F end in the 2023 campaign.
