The college football transfer portal entry list officially came to a close at midnight on Tuesday but there is still a long line of student-athletes who already submitted their names. And thus begins the official contact period — the window when players can make their official visits again.
Among those seeking greener pastures through the sport’s de facto free agency system is former Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag], who entered the portal back on Dec. 4. The massive 6-foot-9-inch, 310-pound trench warrior originally out of Sunset, Louisiana, is reportedly visiting Florida’s football program from Jan. 3-5, according to a source familiar with 247Sports.
Manuel has already visited the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Kentucky Wildcats, plus a trip to see the Missouri Tigers lined up right after the Gators.
The redshirt sophomore played in just one game prior to 2023 (in a win against the Auburn Tigers) and last fall saw his efforts hampered by an injury in training camp. Nonetheless, he started the final three of the nine games he appeared in for the Hogs, earning an overall grade of 68.4 on 417 total offensive snaps from Pro Football Focus.
PFF also assigned him a pass grade of 89.4, a pass block grade of 63.5 and a run block grade of 65.6. On3’s transfer portal tracker gives the Orange and Blue a 91.5% chance of landing him.
Florida has already signed former San Diego State Aztecs offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson but could still use more help up front from the portal. A healthy start to the season with the Gators might be what Manuel needs to finally break out.
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