Jon Horford transfers, eligible immediately

A familiar name will be providing front court depth for Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators next season per ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who confirmed from multiple sources. Jon Horford, the younger brother of Gator great Al Horford, is transferring to Florida from Michigan. A spring graduate, Horford will be eligible to play immediately for the Gators, who will have 13 scholarship players on the roster.

Horford, a 6-10, 250-pound low post from Grand Ledge, Michigan, was a key player off the player off the bench the last three seasons, helping Michigan get to the Final Four in 2013 and to the Elite Eight in 2014. Teammates elected him team captain in 2014 when he averaged 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while playing 13.8 minutes per game. He had 10 or more rebounds in three games while hitting 56.4% from the field.

Horford is a quality defensive player and a good position rebounder. While it isn’t likely that he will challenge for starter’s minutes, he will give the Gators a quality big in the low post off the bench who can hold his own defensively and make smart decisions when he has the ball in his hands.

The addition of Horford gives the Gators the deepest front court they’ve had since the 2006 national championship season. Florida’s roster will have six bigs on scholarship who are at least 6-8 and seven perimeter players.

The 2014-15 Florida roster shapes up like this:

BIGS:

* Jacob Kurtz (6-6, 210, SR)
Damontre Harris (6-10, 235, RSR)
Jon Horford (6-10, 250, RSR)
Dorian Finney-Smith (6-8, 214, RJR)
*  * Alex Murphy (6-9, 230, RJR)
Chris Walker (6-10, 220, SO)
Devin Robinson (6-9, 195, FR)

* Non-Scholarship Player

* * Duke Transfer, may not be eligible until December

PERIMETER

* Eli Carter (6-2, 200, RJR)
Michael Frazier II (6-4, 199, JR)
Devon Walker (6-6, 200, JR)
* Dillon Graham (6-4, 190, RSO)
Kasey Hill (6-1, 185, SO)
Brandone Francis (6-5, 210, FR)
Chris Chiozza (5-10, 160, FR)

* Medical redshirt 2013-14

 

Franz Beard
Back in January of 1969, the late, great Jack Hairston, then the sports editor of the Jacksonville Journal, called me on the phone one night and asked me if I wanted to work for him. I said yes. The entire interview took 30 seconds. It's my experience that whenever the interview lasts 30 seconds or less, I get the job. In the 48 years that I've been writing and getting paid for it, I've covered Super Bowls, World Series, NCAA basketball championships, BCS championship games, heavyweight title fights and what seems like thousands of college football, baseball and basketball games. I'm a columnist and special assignments editor for Gator Country once again, writing about the only team that ever mattered to me, the Florida Gators.