Florida Gators OL Jalen Farmer entering the transfer portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jalen Farmer announced Monday that he’s entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Farmer saw action in two games this season as a reserve lineman, coming off the bench in the wins over Vanderbilt and McNeese.

The former 3-star recruit appeared in two games and redshirted in 2022, making his collegiate debut against Eastern Washington.

Farmer released a statement about his decision via X, formerly known as Twitter.

“First I would like to thank God for all the opportunities he’s blessed me with the opportunity to play Division I SEC football while also attending such a prestigious institution. I would also like to thank my family friends and loved ones that have showed unwavering support throughout my time here at the University of Florida,” Farmer wrote.

“Lastly I would like to thank all my coaches who have helped develop me into the player I am today. My journey has been full of ups and downs but I look forward to what God has in store in the future. With that being said, I would like to announce that I will be entering the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility remaining.”

Farmer is the 11th scholarship player from Florida’s 2023 roster to transfer so far.

RELATED: Transfer portal tracker: Florida Gators football 2023 roster updates

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 portal has been around since Oct. 15, 2018 and the new calendar cycle within the portal begins each August. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons). That comes after 1,681 entered during the 2019-20 cycle and 1,709 during the abbreviated 2018-19 cycle.

The window for FBS players to enter the portal opens on Dec. 4 and closes after 30 days on Jan. 2, 2024.