Former Florida LB David Reese transferring to this Pac-12 program

After five years with the Gators, David Reese is headed out west to play in the Pac-12 for his last season of eligibility.

Former Florida linebacker [autotag]David Reese[/autotag] is headed out west to play for the California Golden Bears in 2023, according to a joint Instagram party he made with the program Sunday.

Reese was an edge rusher for Florida who mostly played in a special teams role through five years with the program. He joined the team in 2018 and redshirted after playing in one game his freshman year. An injury took his second season away, and Year 3 ended early because of another. [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] couldn’t figure out how to use him in 2021, but Reese finally saw steady action with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] in 2022, playing in 12 games this year and lining up for 103 defensive line snaps.

He leaves Florida with nine total tackles (five solo) through 20 appearances.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnc-EFrvpiY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Although Reese’s collegiate football career won’t end at Florida, he did manage to get a bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences in the spring of last year. That should come in handy during life after football, and Cal’s not a bad place to further one’s education either.

Reese will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Golden Bears.

[mm-video type=video id=01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg-c640babe687004c896ec7a3af514c1b9.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=99684,99682,99677,99670,99668]

[listicle id=99611]

[listicle id=99503]

[listicle id=99465]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Former Ohio State LB officially commits to Florida Gators

Now that Ohio State’s season is over, linebacker Teradja Mitchell has officially announced his transfer commitment to the University of Florida.

On Monday, former Ohio State linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag] officially committed to the University of Florida, confirming a Dec. 21 report from the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson.

“Florida was the perfect fit for me,” Mitchell told Swamp247. “They were one of the first schools to reach out to me when I entered the portal. Coach (Jay) Bateman has been around and has watched me since high school. He recruited a couple of guys from my area. So we instantly clicked once we had our first conversation. It felt like family.”

Mitchell entered the portal on Dec. 5 after seeing his role in the Buckeyes’ offense reduced in 2022. Florida presents an opportunity for him to make an immediate impact at a school that has depth issues in the linebacker room. The Gators are losing starters [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] to the NFL draft and [autotag]Chief Borders[/autotag] and [autotag]David Reese[/autotag] to the transfer portal; [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] was dismissed from the program in November, too.

Mitchell will join [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag], [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag] as the main players in the linebackers room next year. He should be in town over the coming weekend to get enrolled for spring classes at Florida, meaning he’ll be available to the team during spring practices. Barring injury, Mitchell should easily compete for a starting role.

A former five-star recruit out of high school, Mitchell has as high a ceiling as any newcomer to Florida’s roster. He leaves Columbus with 64 total tackles, including 8.5 tackles for a loss.

[mm-video type=video id=01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg/01gdg3yhc6d6jb3c59xg-c640babe687004c896ec7a3af514c1b9.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=98837,98834,98827,98828,98825]

[listicle id=98865]

[listicle id=98813]

[listicle id=98794]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Florida’s fifth-year junior linebacker enters NCAA transfer portal

This now-former Gator announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on Sunday.

College football rosters across the nation are getting a jolt after the NCAA transfer portal opened up on Monday, and the Florida Gators are no exception. Along with the departure of three players to the 2023 NFL draft over the past 24 hours — plus a fourth who declared on Thursday — UF’s roster is also being bled by those exiting through the portal as well.

Redshirt junior linebacker [autotag]David Reese[/autotag], who has been in Gainesville for five years and was originally recruited during the changing of the guard from [autotag]Jim McElwain[/autotag] to [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag], has finally seen enough and announced on Sunday that he will use his final year of eligibility elsewhere after playing for half a decade in the Swamp.

The grizzled veteran from Fort Pierce, Florida, offered the following to the fans Sunday evening on his personal Twitter account.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 238-pound linebacker played in 19 games during his five-year tenure, sitting out in both 2019 and 2021 but still adding to his three SEC Academic Honor Roll awards. He recorded five solo and four assisted tackles over that span, earning just one solo and one assist in 2022 despite appearing in all 12 games.

Under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag], Reese played at the JACK position and saw increased playing time after [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. was dismissed from the program, but was still buried on the depth chart. He already earned his bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences last spring and will use his final year of eligibility as a graduate student wherever he happens to land.

[mm-video type=video id=01gkf5ynv2xxas27ssxj playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gkf5ynv2xxas27ssxj/01gkf5ynv2xxas27ssxj-783cece52f81bf61004d8b49d6cc0685.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=97401,97396,97391,97387,97383]

[listicle id=97254]

[listicle id=97242]

[listicle id=97108]

[listicle id=97045]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Linebackers

Florida may only have six inside linebackers on scholarship but it’s a strong group with both veterans and youth to work with.

After going over the outside linebackers on Tuesday, the next position group up in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida Gators football roster are the middle linebackers, or inside linebackers.

This is the more traditional linebacker role and Florida’s scheme calls for two starters — the outside linebackers cover the JACK position that usually lines up with the DL, so that’s why they are separated. Last year’s No. 1 in the position room, [autotag]Mohamoud Diabate[/autotag], transferred to Utah over the offseason, but there’s still a decent amount of depth at the position.

[autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] is the leader of the group and should be the top inside linebacker on the team this year. Florida could have used his elite rushing defense several times in 2021, so he’ll be a major boost to the defense and help guide the younger players below him on the depth chart.

Florida only has six scholarship inside linebackers on its roster, which is a bit low considering the scheme it runs. The good news is most of them are ready for game action and there are outside linebackers, such as [autotag]David Reese[/autotag], that could change positions if the injury bug bites the Gators hard.

Here’s a look at all eight inside linebackers on the 2022 Florida football roster.

See also:

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Outside Linebackers

A healthy David Reese could benefit the Gators linebacker core

David Reese is hoping the third time is the charm as he attempts to stay healthy this season.

Name: David Reese

Number: 4

Position: Linebacker

Class: Redshirt Junior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 230 lbs

Hometown: Fort Pierce, Florida

High School: Vero Beach

Twitter: @DR4our

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO SACK FF INT
3 2 0 0 0

Overview:

A four-star recruit out of high school, David Reese was recruited by Gators coach Dan Mullen as an athletic defender who could contribute to a team’s pass rush. Injuries have slowed down his career at Florida, but he looks to get back on track this season.

After redshirting in his freshman year, Reese tore Achilles and missed the entire 2019 season. He began to work on the field again in 2020 but his season ended again due to injury after appearances in just five games.

Reese has the length and athletics to be the hard-hitting linebacker Florida needed last year. Ventrell Miller is the closest Gator to being known as a big hitter, but that can easily be Reese’s role if he can fight for enough playing time. Figuring to be in front of Reese this year are Miller, Mohamoud Diabate, Amari Burney and Ty’Ron Hopper.

Reese’s older brother, Stewart, transferred to the team last year to reunite with Mullen and looks to be a leader of the offensive line. David is hungry to prove himself and earn some similar recognition if he can stay healthy.

“David has never been a sideline kid,” Reese’s mother said last year. “He hates being on the sideline. When he played basketball, he hated being on the bench. He is a hard worker, and whatever it takes for him to not have to be on the bench, he will do that.”

[vertical-gallery id=51540]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Panthers sign LB Julian Stanford, waive undrafted rookie

The Carolina Panthers added a veteran linebacker Saturday. Special teams ace Julian Stanford had a tryout with the team earlier this week along with two other free agents at his position. Stanford did well enough to earn himself a contract, making …

The Carolina Panthers added a veteran linebacker Saturday.

Special teams ace Julian Stanford had a tryout with the team earlier this week along with two other free agents at his position. Stanford did well enough to earn himself a contract, making Carolina his sixth team since entering the league in 2012, most recently with the Bills.

He played in all 16 games for Buffalo in 2019, playing mostly special teams. That’s been primarily what he has done throughout his career, which has also included stops in Jacksonville, Detroit, Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. He has played in 88 career games and has 93 career tackles and one sack.

Stanford has already passed the COVID-19 testing protocols.

Undrafted rookie linebacker David Reese was waived in a corresponding move.

Panthers 2020 training camp: Projecting 5 potential cuts on defense

Let’s take a look at the next potential five cuts on defense.

The Carolina Panthers began padded practices yesterday after announcing a series of offensive roster moves on Sunday. The team picked up wide receivers Tommylee Lewis and Marken Michel plus tight end Andrew Vollert. To make room, they cut DeAndrew White, Cam Sutton and two rookie linebackers.

More releases will be coming soon. Let’s take a look at the next potential five cuts on defense.

DE Myles Adams

Myles Adams
Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports

As an undrafted rookie, Adams already had a difficult road to make the 53-man roster this year. Things got more complicated on Monday when the Panthers claimed former Cowboys defensive end Jalen Jelks off waivers. Early-round picks like Yetur Gross-Matos are assured their spots, but Adams doesn’t have that advantage built in for him. He will need to separate himself from the rest if he’s going to survive the next round of cuts.