The Florida Gators are losing another starter on defense.
Fifth-year defensive back [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] entered the transfer portal on Friday, according to 247Sports and On3. Hill played in all 12 games for Florida in 2023, starting all but one of those contests. He ended the year with 39 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.
After ending the 2022 season at cornerback, Hill moved to the STAR position this year, beating out Jadarrius Perkins for the starting job. Perkins left the team early in the season, and now Hill is gone too.
Hill’s college career started in 2019. He came out of high school asa four-star corner ranked No. 187 overall in the country by 247Sports. The Alabama native picked Florida over Michigan, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas A&M, among others.
Despite tearing his ACL during his senior year of high school, Hill appeared in 10 games as a true freshman for Florida in 2019. He quickly worked out of the reserve role, starting five games during the 2020 season. Hill tore his ACL again during the 2021 preseason, forcing him to miss the entire season and take a medical redshirt.
Along with the obvious challenges of returning from a major knee injury, Hill had to fight for his spot with a new coach in Gainesville. Hill signed to Dan Mullen’s Florida Gators, but he ended up starting more games for Billy Napier.
With one more year of eligibility remaining and a proven track record in the SEC, Hill should have no problem finding a new home at a Power Five program.
Florida has now lost five members of its secondary. In addition to Hill and Perkins, cornerback Jalen Kimber and safety Miguel Mitchell are in the portal. Safety Kamari Wilson has committed to Arizona State.
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