Tag: bryce capers

Florida sophomore EDGE TJ Searcy to enter transfer portal

The edge defender exodus in Gainesville continued on Tuesday with TJ Searcy’s transfer portal announcement.

Sophomore edge defender [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag] is the latest Florida Gator to announce his departure from the program and enter the transfer portal.

“After much prayer and great consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal,” Searcy said in a written statement posted to social media. “I’m excited for the next chapter of my journey and look forward to the opportunities ahead.”

Searcy played the third-most snaps (362) among Florida edge defenders this season, earning a 70.0 overall grade on defense from Pro Football Focus. He was Florida’s best edge defender in coverage (77.9), according to PFF.

A consensus four-star recruit out of high school, Searcy signed with Florida as a member of the class of 2023 and played in all 12 games as a true freshman. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors and ended his time in Gainesville with 60 total tackles (29 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Florida’s options at EDGE in 2025

Searcy is the sixth edge defender from Florida to leave the program for the transfer portal, following [autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Capers[/autotag] (walk-on), [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], [autotag]Quincy Ivory[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Pyburn[/autotag].

Those departures may indicate that veteran edge defenders George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp intend to return, although neither has officially announced a decision. Behind those two are Kamran James and LJ McCray, and Florida is adding four-star recruit Jayden Woods to the position room.

The only scholarship loss from this group through graduation is specialist [autotag]Ja’Markis Weston[/autotag]. Walk-on [autotag]Tyreik Norwood[/autotag] also concluded his eligibility.

Walk-ons [autotag]Titus Bullard[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Emanuel III[/autotag] and [autotag]Layne Swafford[/autotag] could also return.

There’s also a chance Florida will be active in the edge defender market during the winter transfer period. Amaris Williams, a former five-star recruit and Florida commit, is leaving Auburn and is a priority target.

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Two more Florida EDGEs to enter NCAA transfer portal

A deep edge defenders room at Florida is losing a pair of players to the NCAA transfer portal, JUCO transfer Quincy Ivory and PWO Bryce Capers.

A day after veteran edge defender Justus Boone announced his departure from Florida, two more Gators from the same position room are leaving the program.

Redshirt junior [autotag]Quincy Ivory[/autotag], a class of 2023 junior college transfer from East Los Angeles College, and walk-on [autotag]Bryce Capers[/autotag] are the fourth and fifth Florida players to announce transfer plans, following Boone receiver Andy Jean on Sunday. Walk-on safety Ahman Covington announced his plans for the transfer portal on Nov. 20.

Ivory played in 18 games for Florida over the past two years, mostly on special teams. He played at least 20 snaps a game between Weeks 10 and 13 a season ago. Pro Football Focus gives Ivory a special teams grade of 62.8 this year, down from 64.2 in 2023.

Capers joined the program in 2022 as a preferred walk-on, playing in three games that season before taking a redshirt. He did not play in 2023 and saw the field for just two snaps against Samford this past season.

Ivory leaves Florida with one year of eligibility remaining, and Capers has two years left.

Florida’s options at EDGE

The Gators have now lost three players from its EDGE room, but many of the top contributors at the position are able to return.

Tyreak Sapp and Jack Pyburn have a year of eligibility remaining, and Boone’s departure could signal an intent to return for both. Even if both players were to depart, Northern Illinois transfer George Gumbs Jr. played a significant role in Florida’s defensive front this year, and a number of young players are hungry for more snaps.

Kelby Collins, Kamran James, LJ McCray and TJ Searcy are all set to return, barring any future transfer announcements. Florida will add four-star recruit Jayden Woods to the position room this spring, as well.

The Gators are only losing one scholarship player from the position room to graduation, specialist Ja’Markis Weston. Walk-on Tyreik Norwood is also out of eligibility. Walk-ons Titus Bullard, Charles Emanuel III and Layne Swafford also have enough eligibility to return to the roster.

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Gators land commitment from 3-star preferred walk-on from Jacksonville

Capers decided to forgo scholarship offers from several Group of Five and FCS schools to join Billy Napier’s roster.

Florida’s 2022 recruiting class grew by one more on Monday as the team secured a pledge from three-star Jacksonville Riverside linebacker Bryce Capers, who is set to join the roster as a preferred walk-on. Capers is unrated by the 247Sports Composite, but on 247Sports’ own rankings, he’s the No. 154 linebacker in the country and the No. 189 prospect in the state of Florida.

Capers had scholarship offers to three FBS programs in Akron, Florida International and Liberty, as well as offers to a couple of FCS schools in Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State. However, he announced on Monday via his Twitter account that he will be heading to Gainesville, instead.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 219-pound linebacker also took an unofficial visit to Tallahassee to see Florida State in June, but he ultimately didn’t get an offer out of that trip.

Napier has discussed the importance of walk-ons before, and given Capers’ “preferred” status, he could be more likely to see the field than some others despite the fact that he will not be on scholarship, at least initially. Florida’s 2022 recruiting class, which ranks 33rd in the nation, now features 13 players in addition to six transfers.

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