Former Michigan linebacker [autotag]Deuce Spurlock[/autotag] committed to the Florida Gators on Sunday, making the announcement public on social media around 1 p.m. on the East Coast.
After one year with the Wolverines, the Alabama native is headed back to the South to play in the SEC for a coach that wanted him before he was at the right school to land him. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff recruited Spurlock as a high school senior while at Louisiana, but the then three-star recruit opted to play for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan instead.
Florida seemed to be the only team with a real chance to land Spurlock during this cycle. He announced his entrance into the transfer portal on Jan. 2 after Michigan lost to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, visited Florida by the start of the weekend and announced his commitment to close it out.
You See It-V 🐊 #GoGators #Florida @coach_bnapier @Beast1Athletics @CoachBateman pic.twitter.com/Kku097NEb1
— 𝘿𝙚𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝙎𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 (@deucespurlock) January 8, 2023
Adding Spurlock is a major win for Florida. The team needed linebackers after losing two starters, [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag], to the NFL draft, and have now added former Ohio State Buckeye Teradja Mitchell and Spurlock at the position. Both should compete for significant playing time in 2023. Returning players at inside linebacker include Derek Wingo, Shemar James and Scooby Williams.
At Michigan, Spurlock played just 12 snaps over two games, collecting three total tackles (one solo) and a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.3 on defense for the year. He’ll have four years of eligibility remaining at Florida, so there’s time to develop him into his full potential.
Spurlock is the fifth player to transfer to Florida this offseason along with with Louisville defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag], Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], Mitchell and Memphis defensive lineman [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag].
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