Florida tight end [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] will enter the transfer portal, according to Swamp247.
“After careful thought and prayer, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining,” Boardingham wrote in a social media post. “This decision was not easy, but I believe it’s the best path for my personal and athletic growth.”
Boardingham signed with Florida as a member of the recruiting class of 2022. He earned a three-star grade from On3 and Rivals but was a four-star by 247Sports and Rivals’ measure.
As a freshman, Boardingham played just seven snaps in the Las Vegas Bowl and took a redshirt. His workload exploded as a redshirt freshman in 2023, seeing action in all 12 games with two starts. Boardinham led all Florida tight ends that year with 263 snaps played, 26 catches on 37 targets, 289 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Pro Football Focus graded him out as the team’s best receiving (65.8) tight end.
Coming into 2024, Boardingham had a chance to be Florida’s unquestioned No. 1 in the tight ends room, but he struggled as a receiver, catching 18 of 26 targets for 128 yards and two scores. He saw Hayden Hansen outperform him on less targets and sophomore Tony Livingston also worked into the rotation. With former four-star recruit Amir Jackson likely to join the mix in 2025, seeking a new home made sense for Boardingham, who finished the year as the worst overall tight end (43.4) on Florida’s roster, per PFF.
Still, there’s plenty of upside for Boardingham as a transfer recruit. He’s a good route runner with good hands and is getting better at blocking. Oregon and Texas recruited him heavily out of high schools.
Boardingham is the 10th Gator to announce an intent to enter the transfer portal. Edge defenders Justus Boone, Bryce Capers (walk-on) and Quincy Ivory (JUCO transfer, 2023), wide receiver Andy Jean, cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, defensive lineman Kelby Collins, offensive lineman Christian Williams and walk-on Safety Ahman Covington are all leaving the program as well.
Florida’s Options at Tight End in 2025
Boardingham’s departure opens up a significant chunk of snaps in Florida’s offense. As mentioned above, the tight ends room in Gainesville has a decent amount of depth.
Hansen figures to be the position room leader, building off a solid 2024, and Jackson and Livingston will compete for that second spot. Jackson might have the upper hand there as a legitimate pass-catching threat.
There’s also redshirt freshman Gavin Hill to consider, but he has not played a snap in two years with the program. Walk-ons Scott Isacks and Dawson Johnson can return as well.
Keon Zipperer and walk-on Caleb Rillos are both out of eligibility.
Florida signed tight end Micah Jones on Wednesday as a member of the class of 2025. He’s a potential redshirt candidate next year, though.
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