Eastern Michigan TE, former Florida transfer Jonathan Odom to miss 2024 season, enter portal

After transferring to Eastern Michigan from Florida this offseason, Jonathan Odom is taking the year off and will enter the transfer portal. He announced his plans on Monday, citing his 2022 knee injury and a concussion as reasons he’ll sit out.

Odom appeared in 25 games over his seasons down in The Swamp. He redshirted as a freshman back in 2020 and earned another redshirt after playing in just four games again during the 2023 season as he recovered from his knee injury.

During his time with Florida, Odom appeared in 25 games. He came away with 16 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns – both of which came during the 2022 campaign prior to his injury.

🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/eT1WARHiBQ

— Jonathan Odom (@Odom_87) July 15, 2024

“After suffering a major knee injury at the conclusion of the 2022 season and a season ending concussion last year, and suffering another injury this spring causing me to miss my third consecutive spring, my family and I have decided it is best for my long term health to take the remainder of this year to let my body try and fully heal before trying to play again,” Odom said. “I will reevaluate the possibility of playing next season at the end of this year as I will be in the transfer portal with 1 year left.

“My love for the game remains as high as ever. Thanks to everyone who has invested and believed in me. I know God has a plan for me and I am trusting him fully.”

Jonathan Odom played high school football at Jesuit (Fla.) High School where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 668 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He finished as a Top-30 TE in his class and a Top-100 player out of Florida.

Odom cannot enter the transfer portal until the window opens following the 2024 season. What that window will look like, though, could be changing. The NCAA D-I Council proposed shortening it from 45 days to 30 days, with a vote expected to take place in October. Last year, the portal opened the day the final College Football Playoff Top 25 came out and closed after the national championship.

“In creating transfer windows a few years ago, NCAA schools identified that those windows might need to be adjusted over time as the transfer landscape evolved and we gained more information about student-athlete mobility,” Illinois athletic director and Division I Council chair Josh Whitman said in a statement. “These proposals reflect ongoing evaluation and adaptation to transfer trends, and the data support that this adjustment would not meaningfully impact the great majority of transfer student-athletes in these sports. Introducing the proposals gives us an opportunity to hear from all key stakeholders as the environment continues to evolve.”