A handful of former Florida Gators have entered the college football transfer portal with a few still looking to find their new homes. Some of these players are among the top available athletes in this year’s edition of the sport’s de facto free agency system.
The Athletic’s Max Olson put together a ranked list of the top 25 student-athletes in the portal which included a pair of ex-Orange and Blue players in the top 10. First on the list is running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag], who was Florida’s second-most productive offensive backfield player in 2023.
“Etienne lived up to the hype as an instant difference-maker for the Gators, with 1,710 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns in his first two seasons,” Olson begins. “The younger brother of Jaguars star Travis Etienne Jr. has forced 70 missed tackles as a rusher and gained 987 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Georgia is the reported frontrunner for Etienne as the missing piece their offense needed this season,” he continued. “Whether Etienne goes to Athens or anywhere else, he can be as impactful as anybody in this cycle.”
Also included on the list was edge defender [autotag]Princely Umanmielen[/autotag] who came in at No. 8 on the list and recently committed to the Ole Miss Rebels.
“The 6-foot-4 1/2, 255-pound edge defender developed into a two-year starter for the Gators and was one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the SEC this season with 46 pressures, 11.5 TFLs and seven sacks according to PFF. Umanmielen has one more season of eligibility, and Ole Miss has reportedly emerged as a frontrunner for his pledge.”
It seems Olson’s prediction came to fruition on Umanmielen’s destination. Hopefully, the noted projection for Etienne is way off base… for the sake of the Gator Nation.
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