Florida’s transfer portal barrage continued on Monday as sophomore defensive tackle [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] indicated his intentions to leave the program, according to Swamp247.
Lee started out the season as Florida’s starting nose tackle but lost playing time to [autotag]Desmond Watson[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris McClellan[/autotag] as the year went on. Perceived playing time is a significant factor in most transfer portal decisions and Florida was expected to lose several players after the first year of the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era. Lee is just the latest domino to fall bringing Florida’s total departures to a whopping 28 players.
Fortunately, filling his shoes won’t be too difficult given the development of players like Watson and McClellan. Florida is also bringing in a recruiting class laden with defensive line talent.
Lee joined the team as a member of the class of 2020 and quickly found a role on the team as a reserve defensive lineman. During the 2021 season, Lee played in eight games and made his first-career start in Florida’s Gasparilla Bowl loss to the UCF Knights. He leaves Gainesville with 19 total tackles (five solo) and one sack through appearances in 25 games.
Before joining the Gators, Lee was an LSU commit and had offers from plenty of SEC teams. He shouldn’t struggle to find a new home even if those programs previously interested in him have moved on to different coaching staff.
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