A look at the Gators' transfer additions (so far)
The Florida Gators needed to hit a homerun in the transfer portal this offseason and thus far the results for Billy Napier’s program appear to be fairly solid. With Sunday’s commitment from Colorado State quarterback transfer Clay Millen, the Gators now have nine transfers in the boat.
And, they almost certainly aren’t done as transfers continue to visit campus.
Here’s a quick look at who Florida has landed from the portal this cycle:
–Trikweze Bridges, S, Oregon
411: Bridges started 13 games at cornerback in 2022, recording a career-high 49 tackles with three interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. Last season, he played in a backup role and had 16 tackles and three pass breakups. He will move to safety at Florida.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 14 Safety
Billy Napier says: “Trikweze Bridges is height, weight, speed, ton of production. The guy has played corner but has got some position flexibility. He can play safety. Very intelligent. Was on the leadership council at Oregon. He’s got one year of eligibility, and I think looking to create some more value for himself a little bit closer to home, being from Lanett, Alabama.”
Could one of the pickups be an offensive line starter for the Florida Gators?
-Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OT, San Diego State
411: Crenshaw-Dickson has one year of eligibility remaining. … He was a three-year starter for the Aztecs. With that program, he started multiple games at both left and right tackle.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 18 OT
Billy Napier says: “He’s played, I think, 2,500 snaps. He started 35-plus games. Very productive player, All-Conference player in the Mountain West, and equally as impressive when you meet him.”
–George Gumbs, Edge, Northern Illinois
411: Gumbs flipped to the Florida Gators from Cincinnati. He recorded 34 tackles (15 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 2023 — his first year at the edge position. He previously played tight end and transitioned to defense prior to last season. The Gators believe he’s a high-ceiling prospect who should be able to contribute in 2024. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 78 edge
UF landed a huge SEC defensive transfer this week
–Grayson “Pup” Howard, LB, South Carolina
411: As a true freshman this season, Howard played in 11 games for South Carolina and registered 19 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Howard played a total of 221 snaps. He did not miss a tackle during the entire season.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 11 LB
–Chimere Dike, WR, Wisconsin
411: Dike will reunite with his former quarterback, Graham Mertz, in Gainesville. In 2022, Dike had a breakout season with Mertz as his quarterback. He caught 47 passes for 689 yards and six touchdowns — all from Mertz. Dike joins a receiver room that lost Mertz’s favorite target, Ricky Pearsall, but returns several others.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 128 WR
Billy Napier says: “Chimere Dike is a receiver from Wisconsin who played with Graham. Chim is 6-1 and change, about 185 pounds; he’s a 10.8 100 meter guy. Very productive two years ago. He’s got flexibility inside and outside. Polished player. Very consistent, dependable player that I think brings some speed.”
–D.J. Douglas, S, Tulane
411: Per On3, “After walking on at Alabama ahead of the 2019 season and spending two years with the Crimson Tide, Douglas transferred to Tulane where he’d make 36 game appearances over the last three seasons. In his three seasons with the Green Wave Douglas recorded 39 tackles, four interceptions, and seven pass breakups, with most of his production coming in the most recent 2023 season.”
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 103 CB (he’s likely to play safety)
–Devon Manuel, OT, Arkansas
411: Manuel, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 310 pounds, appeared in nine games last season, having started four of them. He redshirted as a freshman and then played one game in 2022. Per SI.com, “In those appearances, in which he recorded 417 total offensive snaps, Manuel received a 63.5 pass-blocking grade, a 65.6 run-blocking grade and a 68.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, each mark considered average to above-average on PFF’s scale.”
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 15 OT
–Clay Millen, QB, Colorado State
411: Millen, who began his career at Nevada, was the Colorado State starter as a redshirt freshman in 2022. That season, he passed for 1,910 yards, 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while completing 72.2 percent of his passes. He set the school record for completion percentage. Per The Coloradoan, “Millen was QB No. 1 through spring and preseason leading into 2023 and started the opener against Washington State but was removed in the game and replaced before CSU’s second game. Millen went 15-for-24 for 110 yards and an interception against Washington State. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi took over after and started every game the rest of the season as Millen didn’t appear in a game again.”
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 56 QB
UF landed one of the top defensive linemen in the portal
–Joey Slackman, DL, Penn
411: At Penn, he recorded 113 tackles, 10.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. And his best work came in 2023 when Slackman had 50 tackles, including 12 behind the line of scrimmage and 4 sacks, with 1 pass breakup. His 90.1 overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade led all FCS defensive tackles, as did his 92.8 run-defense rating.
ON3 transfer ranking: No. 2 DL
Billy Napier says: ” I wasn’t expecting the height and length that walked in the door, but more importantly, when this guy started engaging our staff and people throughout the organization, he made an impression. He left an impression. This guy’s got leadership. He’s got a motor, he’s driven, he’s ambitious, and he’s got a plan.”
