Redshirt sophomore linebacker Deuce Spurlock will return to the transfer portal after two seasons with the Florida Gators football program.
The college football transfer portal opens this coming Monday and another name is now listed among the soon-to-be former Florida Gators who have announced their departure.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker [autotag]Deuce Spurlock[/autotag], who arrived in Gainesville two Januarys ago after transferring from the Michigan Wolverines, will once again seek greener pastures through the sport’s de facto free agency system.
Originally from Madison, Alabama, he played in two games for the Blue during the 2022 season — his true freshman year — before redshirting. In 2023, the defender appeared in three games all on special teams, making his debut against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 4 as a member of the kickoff team; he also played against the Missouri Tigers (Nov. 18) and Florida State Seminoles (Nov. 25).
He did not play in 2024.
Spurlock represents the tenth Gator to declare their transfer portal intentions. He is joined by tight end Arlis Boardingham, offensive lineman Christian Williams, defensive lineman Kelby Collins, cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, offensive lineman Mike Williams, edge Quincy Ivory, walk-on edge Bryce Capers, edge Justus Boone and wide receiver Andy Jean.
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Taking a look at who’s leading the Gators linebacker unit for this upcoming season.
The next group of players we’ll take a look at on Gators Wire’s positions preview series are the linebackers.
Florida has some talented linebackers for this upcoming 2024 season with a mix of new and returning names. Although Scooby Williams, who played in all 12 games last season at linebacker for the Gators, transferred in the offseason to Texas A&M, Florida won’t have a problem filling that hole.
Shemar James is expected to be the leader of this Florida defense while first-year Gator Grayson “Pup” Howard will be lined up next to him as the other starting linebacker.
Head coach Billy Napier did an excellent job in bringing in some very talented linebackers this past offseason and this is one of those position groups that is very deep for the Gators.
Let’s take a look at every linebacker on Florida’s roster. Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2024 season below.
James is coming into his third and most important season at Florida. Looked at as the focal point of the defense, James will be in charge of listening in on what the coach on the sideline is saying through the new coach-to-player helmet communication system.
Last season, James started the first eight games before missing the final four due to a knee injury. In 2022, James won Freshman All-SEC honors after finishing the season with 47 total tackles in 13 games.
James’ biggest strength at linebacker is his pass coverage, as he was graded at 75.2 out of 100 in that category according to Pro Football Focus. His biggest weakness is his pass rush and he’ll be looking to improve that area of his game this season.
Starter: No. 10 Grayson “Pup” Howard (So.)
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Howard comes in as a transfer from South Carolina and is expected to start as the other linebacker alongside James.
Last season with the Gamecocks, Howard appeared in 11 games and logged 19 tackles (10 solo), a tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble.
Howard attended Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida where he was ranked as the 42nd-best player in the state, the 15th-best outside linebacker and No. 177 on the ESPN300.
Although Howard doesn’t have the biggest sample size from last season, he has really impressed in camp and has made a strong push for that other starting linebacker spot.
Myles Graham, although a freshman, is a very talented linebacker that the Gators were able to acquire.
Graham, a local product, went to F. W. Buchholz High School in Gainesville and was ranked as a five-star recruit by Rivals as well as the third-best player in his position group.
Derek Wingo is a fifth-year senior who’s the veteran of this group. Wingo logged 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season with the Gators.
Jaden Robinson is going into his second season with Florida and was rated as a former four-star recruit out of high school by Rivals and 247Sports. Robinson’s role will likely increase this season as he was primarily used for special teams last year.
R.J. Moten is going into his second season at Florida after transferring over from Michigan after the 2022 season. Moten has the experience and is a solid piece that the Gators have for depth.
Deuce Spurlock II is another guy who Florida will have for depth. Like Moten, Spurlock is playing in his second season with the Gators. He played in three games last season, all on special teams.
Aaron Chiles is a freshman who was ranked a four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, On3 and Rivals. Chiles went to Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Maryland. Chiles was also ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Maryland by Rivals.
Jake Xeller went to Herndon (Virginia) and earned back-to-back all-district honors in his junior and senior years. He joined the Gators as a walk-on this past spring.
Matthew Kade attended Bucholz High School in Gainesville and recorded 90 tackles, 18.0 tackles-for-loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and a blocked punt his senior year. Kade walked on to Florida during the summer.
Justin Pelic is coming into his sixth season with Florida after joining the team as a walk-on during the summer of 2019.
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The Gators added yet another transfer linebacker from the portal on Monday. Welcome to the Swamp, Mannie Nunnery.
Florida added former Houston linebacker [autotag]Mannie Nunnery[/autotag] on Monday, according to a post he made on Twitter. The school later confirmed the news, making Nunnery the third linebacker to join the Gators via the transfer portal this offseason.
Nunnery joined the Cougars as a member of the 2019 recruiting class and played in 31 games over four years with the team, including a redshirt season. After seeing action in just two games as a freshman, Nunnery started getting snaps in 2020. He took 25 snaps in the slot as a sophomore but ended up spending most of his time lined up in the box. By 2021, he emerged as a key special teams player and started receiving even more opportunities on defense.
He finally broke out in 2022, playing in nine games for the Cougars and finishing the year with a 73.2 defensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nunnery joins a linebacker room that desperately needs some depth. Aside from fellow transfers [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag] (Ohio State) and [autotag]Deuce Spurlock[/autotag] (Michigan), Florida has only junior [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag], sophomores [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and Scooby Williams and true freshman [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag]. The Gators expect Nunnery to play WILL linebacker for them.
Out of high school, the 247Sports composite ranked Nunnery at No. 94 among outside linebackers in the class of 2019. He was No. 1,326 overall and No. 174 out of the state of Texas.
Florida needed to add some linebackers to the team this offseason, and the transfer portal is delivering for the Gators.
Former Michigan linebacker [autotag]Deuce Spurlock[/autotag] committed to the Florida Gators on Sunday, making the announcement public on social media around 1 p.m. on the East Coast.
After one year with the Wolverines, the Alabama native is headed back to the South to play in the SEC for a coach that wanted him before he was at the right school to land him. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff recruited Spurlock as a high school senior while at Louisiana, but the then three-star recruit opted to play for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan instead.
Florida seemed to be the only team with a real chance to land Spurlock during this cycle. He announced his entrance into the transfer portal on Jan. 2 after Michigan lost to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, visited Florida by the start of the weekend and announced his commitment to close it out.
Adding Spurlock is a major win for Florida. The team needed linebackers after losing two starters, [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag], to the NFL draft, and have now added former Ohio State Buckeye Teradja Mitchell and Spurlock at the position. Both should compete for significant playing time in 2023. Returning players at inside linebacker include Derek Wingo, Shemar James and Scooby Williams.
At Michigan, Spurlock played just 12 snaps over two games, collecting three total tackles (one solo) and a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.3 on defense for the year. He’ll have four years of eligibility remaining at Florida, so there’s time to develop him into his full potential.
Spurlock is the fifth player to transfer to Florida this offseason along with with Louisville defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag], Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], Mitchell and Memphis defensive lineman [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag].
Michigan’s second-lowest-rated signee in the 2022 recruiting class is on the move, and he’s heading to a feature institution in the SEC.
Madison (Ala.)-based linebacker Deuce Spurlock never quite gained momentum in his short college career, having been in Ann Arbor for just one year. He played just 12 snaps according to PFF — nine against Hawaii and three against UConn — all on defense, thus maintaining his redshirt. He announced he was entering the NCAA transfer portal last week, thus finishing his career as a Wolverine.
On Sunday, he found a new home, and it’s at a pretty big school.
At the time of his commitment, he was deciding between Michigan and Auburn, but he gained more offers upon entering the transfer portal. Among them is his new school, Florida, where he announced his commitment on Sunday.
Spurlock did accumulate three tackles in his two game appearances for the maize and blue. He’ll have four full years of eligibility remaining with the Gators.
Take a look at the transfer portal targets who will be in the 352 this weekend.
Florida football suffered its second-straight losing season in 2022 despite the addition of [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his army of staffers in place of former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]. It appears that the new regime has a heck of a hole to dig itself out of on the path to restoring glory to the Orange and Blue.
One of the most pivotal areas of program improvement these past few years has been the NCAA transfer portal, which has become something of a de facto free agency system for amateur athletes. It is here that the future of football can be found, especially with the additional eligibility granted due to COVID.
The Gators will spend the first full weekend of 2023 hosting a half-dozen highly-sought transfers on campus — including one who has already made a hard commitment to Napier and Co. Take a look below at who will be making the trek to Gainesville over the next few days.
It’s the time of year where players will come and go.
Some players will decide to enter the NFL draft. Others will enter the transfer portal. Those already in the portal will make decisions on their next college destination.
On Monday, the Wolverines had another player enter the portal.
Freshman linebacker Deuce Spurlock announced on Twitter he would enter his name into the transfer portal.
Despite having an offer from nearby Auburn that he received on the day he visited Ann Arbor for the Rutgers game, it wasn’t enough to hold Spurlock back. The linebacker committed to the Wolverines just two days later. He also held offers from Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Pitt.
Readiness Level
Likely won’t be ready to contribute for a year or two.
Though not highly ranked in the eyes of the recruiting services, 2022 Madison (Ala.) Academy three-star athlete Deuce Spurlock has quite a lot of offers from some big time schools. His offer list includes Michigan, Auburn, Mississippi State, Pitt, South Carolina, Syracuse and Washington State.
Spurlock was on campus this weekend for his official visit, taking in Michigan football’s 20-13 win over Rutgers. Primarily recruited by linebackers coach George Helow, it appeared that the battle was between the Wolverines and his hometown Auburn Tigers. However, Spurlock decided that staying up north is in his best interest, as he committed to the maize and blue on Sunday.
Spurlock is listed at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds and is rated the No. 1,274 prospect in the country according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the 17th commit for the Wolverines in the 2022 class.
After taking an unofficial visit and participating at Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this summer, a talented Alabama athlete was back on Clemson’s campus on Thursday. Madison (Ala.) Madison Academy 2022 three-star ATH Deuce Spurlock made his way back up …
After taking an unofficial visit and participating at Dabo Swinney Camp earlier this summer, a talented Alabama athlete was back on Clemson’s campus on Thursday.
Madison (Ala.) Madison Academy 2022 three-star ATH Deuce Spurlock made his way back up to Tiger Town for a visit this week with the quiet period effectively underway.
Spurlock (6-2, 215) was accompanied by his mother and grandmother, who also really enjoyed their time back at Clemson.
Following his visit, Spurlock caught up with The Clemson Insider.
Spurlock and his family took a tour of the whole campus, then they went over to the football facilities, where he got to chop it up with Clemson defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Venables.
“During the visit, [Clemson] were telling me how much better they could make me as a man and player,” he told TCI, “And not just focusing on making me the best on the field, but also off the field.”
Spurlock believes that he’s “for sure” working towards a potential offer from the Tigers, he said.
He currently holds offers from programs like Michigan, App State, Army Boston College, Liberty, Memphis, Mississippi State, Pitt, Syracuse, Tulane, USF and Washington State, to name a few.
Additionally, Spurlock earned an offer from the University of South Carolina on Sunday.
But, he’s still holding out for that coveted Clemson offer.
“It would mean a lot to me because I loved the staff and the players,” Spurlock said.
Spurlock took in an official visit to Pitt this summer, but that’s all. He’s looking to make it back to Clemson “hopefully soon,” he added.
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ichigan. I want to thank everyone who has helped me on my journey 
