Baylor DB transfer DJ Coleman commits to Florida

Baylor safety transfer DJ Coleman was one of the first portal visitors reported for the Florida Gators. Coleman and the Orange and Blue coaching staff moved quickly to secure an official visit this weekend. That led to the junior defender committing after the trip. Following the departure of former UF safety Jordan Castell to the NCAA Transfer Portal, the Gators’ coaching staff was looking to add an experienced body to that room. With the addition of Coleman, count that as mission accomplished.

“The program is going to be run like an NFL team,” DJ Coleman told Gators Online on why UF won out. “Me looking to play in the NFL, I want to be prepared for the NFL when I get there. That’s probably the biggest thing.”

DJ Coleman has one season left to play

DJ Coleman will be a senior in the 2026 season. This past season at Baylor, Coleman played in all 12 games. He ranked 5th on the team in tackles with 46 and led the squad with two interceptions. Florida’s new coaching staff was high on Coelman’s abilities and feels he can have a huge impact on their secondary room.

“They talked about trying to show my versatility,” he said. “I did a lot of things at Baylor. They liked that. That was a big part of them getting me out here. They really want to work with me and get me going. Maybe some nickel, but mainly boundary side safety.”

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II, and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database, and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request, and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship, and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.

The window for FBS players to enter the portal opens Jan. 2 and closes on Jan. 16. 

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