The Florida Gators have added 15 players to their 2024 roster via the portal, a transfer class that currently ranks 5th in the country, according to 247Sports. Billy Napier and his staff most recently added CB Cormani McClain and WR Elijhah Badger, the finishing touches on what has been a highly productive offseason for the Orange and Blue.
Including McClain, who ranks No.21 in the portal, the Gators added five top 150 transfers in the 2024 cycle, which is tied for 8th most in college football.
Most Top 150 Transfers – 2024 Cycle (247 Sports)
7: Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, Texas A&M
6: Georga, Oregon, Texas
5: Florida, Ohio State, USC, Ole Miss
4: Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, NC State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington
Filled Positions of Need
The Gators had plenty of holes on their roster following a 5-7 season, but they addressed those needs in the transfer portal. Florida added three offensive linemen in the portal including two tackles. Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson and Devon Manuel have experience at the collegiate level and provide Florida will depth at the tackle position that Billy Napier and his staff haven’t had since arriving in Gainesville. Jason Zandamela transferred to Florida after one semester at USC, providing the Gators with five-star level talent at a position they haven’t been able to recruit particularly well in at the high-school level.
It was evident Florida needed to revamp their secondary after the 2023 season. The Gators hired secondary coach Will Harris this offseason and the transfer portal commitments started flowing. Florida added four players within the unit including three safeties. Washington transfer Asa Turner is fresh off a National Championship game with the Huskies, where the 6’3, 200-pound safety logged 42 snaps in the contest.
Florida received a transfer portal commitment from South Carolina’s Grayson ‘Pup’ Howard, who put together a nice spring camp and positioned himself as a front-runner for a starting spot at linebacker in 2024.
The Gators weakest position following spring camp was wide receiver. Florida responds by adding a highly productive receiver in Arizona State’s Elijhah Badger, who posted 1,579 yards and ten touchdowns while hauling in a combined 135 passes in his last two seasons. Florida also welcomed Wisconsin transfer WR Chimere Dike before spring camp, a receiver that has a great on and off the field relationship with Florida QB Graham Mertz.
I count roughly six transfer portal additions that will likely start for the Gators in 2024 and another five or more that could play significant roles.
Florida found a mixed bag from the transfer portal with a combination of veteran guys that will contribute right away and younger players with 3 or 4 years of eligibility remaining, such as Jason Zandamela, Cormani McClain, Grayson Howard, and Jameer Grimsley.
High School Additions
It isn’t just the transfer portal that has been kind to the Gators this offseason. Florida signed the No.1 QB, No.1 DL, No.8 TE, and the No.6 and No.9 LB’s in the 2024 high school class.
Florida also added the No.1 interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela and the 2023 No.1 CB in Cormani McClain, both through the transfer portal.
The Gators are welcoming 35 new faces to the roster in 2024, which is roughly 41% of a team’s allotment for scholarship players.
Full List of Transfers (ranked from highest to lowest)
- IOL Jason Zandamela (No.7)
- CB Cormani McClain (No.21)
- DL Joey Slackman (No.49)
- LB Grayson Howard (No.98)
- CB Jameer Grimsley (No.100)
- WR Elijhah Badger (No.184)
- S Trikweze Bridges (No.202)
- S DJ Douglas (No.282)
- S Asa Turner (No.287)
- WR Chimere Dike (No.373)
- OL Devon Manuel (No. 403)
- OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (No.549)
- TE Caleb Rillos (No.829)
- OLB George Gumbs (No.982)
- QB Clay Millen (No.1,350)