Florida and head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] needed to find a starter up front to pair with defensive tackle [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag]. But upperclassmen [autotag]Jaelin Humphries[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] have struggled to do so. Now the Gators are looking for an answer in the NCAA transfer portal. Swamp247 reported Friday that the new coaching staff is targeting Maryland defensive lineman [autotag]Darrell Jackson[/autotag].
The Gators wasted little time contacting him after he entered his name into the transfer portal on Thursday. During his freshman season in 2021, he recorded 22 total tackles while playing in eight games. He hails from Havana, Florida, and was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports coming out of high school.
Florida could also use another body at the position after redshirt sophomore [autotag]Lamar Goods[/autotag] announced his decision to transfer on Friday.
Napier and the Gators plan to be aggressive in the transfer portal this spring and summer at a plethora of positions after several injuries have caused depth issues at some spots.
“The University of Florida, you can anticipate us being very aggressive in the portal this spring, we need players,” Napier said after the team’s first scrimmage. “Now, I think the approach is going to be acquire as many good players as we can at any position, right? We’re thin and we need help in a lot of different spots.
“I think we have, we’re approaching double-digits if that makes sense. So, you know, I think it’s fortunate that we have that opportunity, right? It’s something I’m very thankful for? Can’t imagine not having that opportunity at this point. So that window of time is coming. We anticipate doing a lot of business and we’re looking forward to it.”
Expect more transfer targets to arise for Florida after the Orange and Blue game next week.
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