Kiyaunta Goodwin leaves Florida program due to family medical circumstance

Florida offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin is no longer with the Gators, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre. His departure is due to a medical situation within his family.

Goodwin was preparing for his first season with Florida after transferring from Kentucky. With the Wildcats, he played mostly on special teams as a freshman in 2022 before entering the transfer portal and ultimately ending up in Gainesville. He plans on applying for an NCAA hardship waiver so he can be closer to his mother.

Goodwin played high school football at Charlestown (IN) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 55 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After entering the portal, Goodwin became the No. 27-ranked offensive tackle transfer this cycle, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Goodwin was one of 14 transfers coming in for Florida this year, including quarterback Graham Mertz, who’s competing to be the Gators’ starting quarterback. That group comes after Billy Napier and Co. brought in six transfers a year ago as he took over the program.

During SEC Media Days this week, Napier talked about integrating transfers and pointed out the amount of turnover Florida has had lately. He noted the portal is important, but there’s still a balance that has to take place with high school recruiting.

“I think one of the things that we benefitted from is that, you know, 90-plus percent of our team has been there since January,” Napier said. “We had 27 mid-year players. We did minimal work in the spring portal. But you know, I think it’s a reality in college football right now. Especially in the earlier stages of building a program. You’re going to have to do work in the portal. Again, we want to continue to recruit the best high school players in the country and establish some stability from a roster management standpoint and do less work in the portal in the future.

“But there’s no question, it’s an avenue to acquire a player. There is a chemistry dynamic, and I think you’ve got to be intentional about all parts of building the team, and that connection that togetherness that required become even more important. So I think you’ve got to be intentional in terms of the off-season program, the things you do throughout the spring semester, the summer, training camp, and even in-season to create those relationships, some of which can be in a short window of time. It’s a great question.”