Florida linebacker Mannie Nunnery officially withdraws from transfer portal

Florida linebacker Mannie Nunnery has officially withdrawn from the transfer portal, On3 has learned.

The grad student initially entered the portal in early January. The former Houston transfer then informed the coaching staff of plans to withdraw his name later in the month, according to On3’s GatorsOnline.

The linebacker has tallied 109 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in his college career. In his first year with the Gators this past fall, Nunnery recorded 28 tackles and a pass breakup. He recorded a season-high 10 tackles in a loss against Arkansas.

The 2024 season will be his last year of eligibility, using his COVID-19 year. Florida opens the season on Aug. 31 against Miami.

“He’s like a freak of nature,” former Florida linebacker Scooby Williams said this past season. “I don’t know if you remember, but I think in spring we had interviews and I told you how athletic he was and [how he] made one-handed plays and all that, so I’m really excited for him to be able to display that for everybody.”

When Florida’s leading tackler Shemar James underwent season-ending knee surgery in November, Nunnery emerged as a key piece in the Gators’ defense. A late entry in the 2023 transfer portal, the 6-foot-1.5, 227-pound linebacker entered on the final day before ultimately deciding on Florida.

Mannie Nunnery worked closely last season with former Florida star and student assistant coach Brandon Spikes. Now back in the fold for good with the Gators, the linebacker will be a key piece in turning around a defense that allowed 29.5 points per game.

“I was eating dinner with Manny the other day and just talked about how he’s so much more comfortable just living life,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said last week. “He knows the routine, knows where everything’s at, comfortable with the defensive system. He’s showed up. He’s having a good spring camp.”