Billy Napier addresses depth on the defensive line with Lamar Goods leaving

Florida is losing some defensive line depth after Lamar Goods announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. Billy Napier put into perspective how his departure will impact the Gators.

Goods only played in one game last season, but the defensive line depth will take a hit when he transfers out. Napier acknowledged he’s not worried about the defensive line’s performance, but said the Gators have to make sure they have enough bodies to stay effective.

“I think we’ve got some players that can play effective football. … I think we can run a pretty good group of ones out there and we have some twos that we can roll in there and play,” Napier said. “We need more depth. We need more players. But I think we have capable players. Does that makes sense? I think there are some redeeming qualities. There’s height, length, there’s athleticism, there’s power. I think it’s more about learning what to do, how to do it and doing it more consistently. Being loyal, being dependable and accountable. Playing winning football. You can do your job for the team every single time.

“I think [the] reality is as we get closer to the game, we get to put 11 out there every play. And to run between the lines for the Florida Gators, you have to be dependable and accountable and you’ve got to be consistent. Everybody understand? it is a privilege to represent the University of Florida and play. We get to put 11 out there at a time. We need more players to make progress and get in that group. … We’ve got a lot of players that I trust and we’ll put out there. But we’ve got a lot of work to do to create depth and add more players to that list.”

Florida defensive lineman Lamar Goods announces his intent to enter transfer portal

Billy Napier and the Florida Gators received some bad news on Friday, as former On3 Consensus four-star defensive lineman Lamar Goods announced that he is entering his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. Goods announced the news on his Instagram account.

“I wanna start by thanking everyone at the University of Florida and that I appreciate and care for all that you have done for me,” Goods wrote in his post. “But after long and hard talks with my family I have decided to enter my name in the transfer portal. I am excited to see where this next chapter in my life takes my academic and football career but will always be proud that I was a gator thank you GATOR NATION.”

Goods, a 6-foot-2, 332-pound defender, played in just one game as a freshman for the Gators in 2021 – registering a single tackle in a win over Samford on Nov. 13. He committed to Florida over offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia, among others.