Tag: diwun black

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.

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Florida LB Diwun Black dismissed from team, enters transfer portal

Another Gator has been dismissed from the football team and is entering the transfer portal.

After losing three players to the transfer portal in as many days, the Florida Gators dismissed junior linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] on Wednesday, according to Swamp247. Black seemingly confirmed the news via a Twitter post that read “I have officially entered the transfer portal.”

Black joined the program in the summer of 2021 after spending two years at the junior college level. A Florida commit out of high school, the academics weren’t there to get him on campus as a freshman. Rated the top JUCO prospect in the class of 2021, Black finally made his transfer to Florida but struggled to find playing time.

He started off at the STAR position and fought for playing time last year, but he moved to inside linebacker when Billy Napier’s staff took over. He’d fall behind starter [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag], true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] on the depth chart, taking the field for just 38 snaps through the first five weeks of the season (most of which came on special teams).

Injury did slow him down this year, but Black returned to the depth chart last week for Florida’s win over South Carolina. However, he didn’t take the field and James got the majority of the reserve snaps.

Black’s departure is a bit surprising but not entirely unexpected. Napier indicated that he still had much work to do before being a regular player for the Gators following the Tennesee game. Black helped Florida keep hopes alive in the game by recovering an onside kick that set up a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game, but Napier pushed back when reporters asked if that would earn him more playing time.

Following [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag].’s dismissal, Black took to Twitter in support of his former teammate, writing “let’s be great 1” on a repost of Cox’s announcement. It’s possible

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Depth Chart: Gators light at WR ahead of Week 11 matchup with South Carolina

The Gators might be thin at wide receiver this weekend when South Carolina comes to the Swamp.

The Florida Gators are still dealing with injuries, particularly at the wide receiver position, according to the Week 11 depth chart update released Wednesday evening.

The team’s leading receiver, [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag], is still listed as questionable after missing the Texas A&M game, and backup [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] is out with an upper-body injury. Fraziars made his first-career start against the Aggies last week, so Florida will be down to it’s reserve options on Saturday.

Shorter is still listed as the starter, but freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] is set to make his first career start if he can’t go. Behind him and [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] will be Marcus Burke and [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] with [autotag]Kahleil Jackson[/autotag] as another option. [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is the starter in the slot.

The wide receiver room isn’t the only position group to deal with injuries. Starting left guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] was added to the injury report and is listed as questionable with an upper-body injury. White is still listed as the starter, but that decision will be made as kickoff approaches.

Freshman kicker [autotag]Trey Smack[/autotag], who has exclusively served as Florida’s kickoff man this season, is out for a second straight week after missing the Texas A&M game. [autotag]Travis Freeman [/autotag]will back up [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag] for all kicking duties.

At linebacker, [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] is back on the depth chart and off the injury report. He’s listed as a third-team option behind [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] and [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag].

Tight end Keon Zipperer will miss a second-straight game, and that’s all for the depth chart update this week. [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Elksnis[/autotag] are all out as well.

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Depth Chart: Florida dealing with injuries ahead of Texas A&M game

We know Florida will have to make up for the loss of Brenton Cox Jr. this week, but that wasn’t the only change made to the depth chart ahead of Texas A&M.

There were a number of notable changes on the weekly update to Florida’s depth chart, most of which had to do with injuries and departures from the team.

Following the departure of JACK linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]., [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr[/autotag]. is now listed as the starter with [autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] and David Reese behind him. Summerall should be the No. 2, but he is coming off an injury.

Nickelback Kamar Wilcoxson’s third-string spot at the STAR position was left blank this week.

Wide receiver [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] might be the most notable addition to the injury report. Florida’s leading receiver is listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest with a lower-body injury. Shorter ranks in the top 10 for receiving yards among SEC players and has hauled in a pair of touchdown passes this year.

Expect sophomore [autotag]Ja’Quavion Fraziars[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] to receive an increased workload if Shorter can’t go.

Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is also dealing with an injury and won’t play on Saturdays. An Instagram post that was later deleted sparked some fear that he’d be out for the rest of the year, but Billy Napier said there’s still hope for him to return this year.

“Keon, I don’t know where that got blown out of — that’s wild,” Napier said with a smile. “Keon’ got a little bit of a knee (injury). Nothing long-term there. It’s very much to be determined based off his rehab and recovery right now. We don’t expect him to be available this weekend, but long-term no issue there.”

Inside linebacker [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] is questionable to play as well, but the corps of [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] should hold up with true freshman [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and sophomore [autotag]Derek Wing[/autotag]o behind them.

Linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag], tight ends [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Elksnis[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore [/autotag]were all listed as out once again. Napier provided an update on Moore following a shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the season.

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Depth Chart: Florida OL O’Cyrus Torrence ready to return against Georgia

Florida’s weekly depth chart is out, and it looks like right guard O’Cyrus Torrence will be back on the field against Georgia.

The Florida Gators will welcome back their right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] on Saturday when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

UF released its weekly depth chart on Wednesday, and Torrence is no longer listed on the injury report with the lower-body issue that kept him out of the LSU game. He tried to play against the Tigers but didn’t feel well enough during pre-game warmups to take the field. Getting him back will provide a massive boost to Florida’s running game against what might be the best defense in the country.

That’s not the only change in the offensive line rotation. [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] is no longer with the team after announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal in December upon graduating from UF. [autotag]Richie Leonard IV[/autotag], who was already ahead of Braun in the rotation, is now listed as the team’s backup at both guard positions.

The defensive unit remained mostly untouched through the bye week. JACK linebacker [autotag]Lloyd Summerall III[/autotag] is questionable with an upper-body injury, but he’s still listed as Florida’s third-string option behind [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr[/autotag].

Linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] is still on the injury list with a lower-body issue. He missed Florida’s game against LSU and should be out against Georgia. True freshman cornerback [autotag]Devin Moore[/autotag] is also unlikely to play after missing the past two games.

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Florida announces Players of the Week for Tennessee game

Florida may have lost on Saturday, but there will still plenty of performances worth recognizing from the boys in Orange in Blue.

Despite the final score of Saturday’s game between Florida and Tennessee, there was a lot to like from the Gators.

On Monday, the team took a moment to recognize the top performers from the contest and revealed who the Players of the Week were. Three players on offense, defense and special teams (game-changers) were selected.

On offense, quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and receivers [autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] got the nod. Richardson provided 515 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in what was easily the best game of his collegiate career so far. Shorter led the way with seven receptions for 155 yards, and Pearsall also broke the century mark (103 yards) on five grabs.

Safety [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] and linebacker/STAR [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] earned the honors on defense. Miller played hurt after missing just one week with an ankle injury and totaled six tackles against Tennesse while forcing a fumble and recovering another. Torrence led the team in total tackles with 13 (11 solo), and he also broke up a pass. Burney finished second on the team with eight tackles (seven solo), including 2.5 tackles for a loss, a pair of sacks for nine yards and a forced fumble.

Punter [autotag]Jeremy Crawshaw[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Diwun Black[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] were all recognized for their efforts on special teams. Black made the big play of the night, snatching the ball out of the air on the onside kick to give Florida a last-second shot at the end zone. Crawshaw only delivered one punt on the night, but it landed inside the 20 and [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag] missed his field goal, so it sort of had to be him. Wilson finished with five total tackles, including one on a kickoff return.

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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

Florida’s student-athletes have plenty of NIL opportunities

Official jerseys were once just a pipe dream. Florida took a major step into making it a reality on Thursday.

Student-athletes can profit off their name image and likeness without penalty for the first time this year, and Florida is looking to capitalize. The Gators partnered with The Brandr Group on Thursday to establish group licensing for student-athletes across all 21 sports.

The partnership means that players can use the school logo in their personal endorsement deals. Three or more athletes from a team or six or more athletes from multiple sports can join the program and TBG will facilitate the licensing.

“The Florida Gators have one of the strongest brands in all of college athletics, and this agreement with The Brandr Group provides great value to our student-athletes in expanding their NIL opportunities,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “This is a win for Florida student-athletes and Gators fans, who will be able to represent their favorite players like never before.”

The big news here for Gators fans is that the door is now open to merchandise with players’ names and numbers. Fans have long desired official team jerseys but only now has that dream become a reality.

Florida fans will have more to look forward to with the launch of the Gator Collective, a fan platform founded by former Gators pitcher Eddie Rojas. The Gator Collective offers fans access to players through interviews and video conferences, and there are plans for raffles and giveaways.

Rojas lived the struggle of a student-athlete and wanted to give back to his school after hearing about the NIL changes.

Five Gators have signed with the Gator Collective: linebacker Mohamoud Diabate, linebacker Diwun Black, defensive end Zachary Carter, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey and tight end Keon Zipperer. While all are on the football team, the goal is to branch out to other sports. The group licensing agreement extending across all sports should help with that.

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Florida football’s Diwun Black has found a home at nickelback

Diwun Black is a unique prospect with his great size and skillset. Florida believes the best fit for him is at the STAR position.

Florida has had a rotating door at the STAR position in its defense since defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson declared for the NFL after the 2018 season. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has tried other players like Trey Dean and Tre’Vez Johnson in that role, but neither has provided the production that Gardner-Johnson in. Diwun Black arrived on campus earlier this fall and the coaching staff he fits best in that position.

Most media members weren’t sure where the Gators would plug Black when he first arrived because of his unique attributes. He is a 6-foot-3-inch, 228-pound prospect that can hit like a linebacker and has the coverage ability to play in the secondary.

“He’s a monster in the back end,” defensive end Khris Bogle said. “Something that we were really looking for on our defense. I mean, he’s fast, physical, bigger than most safeties and DBs.”

In his only year of junior college, he nabbed 12 interceptions and ran back three of them for touchdowns.

“That’s what you look for with a guy on the back end: if he can take the ball away and give an offense more possessions, that’s what you hunt for a guy on the back end,” safeties coach Wesley McGriff said Tuesday about his stats.

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Black has spent most of fall camp working with McGriff. He’ll bring a different and more versatile skillset than Johnson brings currently.

“I mean, he’s very long, very long athlete,” McGriff said. “He’s got good run ability. He’s constantly improving his change of direction. Constantly improving his demeanor in the classroom and knowing what to do and just go about that communication deal, just communicating and knowing your assignments. But he’s a guy that certainly has a skillset and talent that he’ll be able to support us down the road when we get going in this thing.”

It’s still possible Black may not play Sept. 4 versus FAU because Florida is trying to get him caught up to speed. But the Gators need to get him prepared quickly because his potential is limitless.

“I know he’s one of a kind,” Bogle said. “He’s a one of a kind player. Not every player in the country can have what Diwun Black has. He’s just been great, he’s just been working real hard [this] offseason and coming in now to play a role.”

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Florida football’s Diwun Black truly bleeds orange and blue

Diwun Black’s journey to Florida is the most unique of anyone on the team. Now that he made it, Black isn’t taking any day for granted.

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Diwun Black is one of the most unique stories on the Florida Gators roster this fall. He committed to Florida back in the 2019 class. After he gave his pledge to the Gators, Black became the leader of the class and recruited anyone he could to come play for the Orange and Blue.

But he failed to qualify and had to go through the junior college ranks. Despite the heartbreak, he stayed committed to the Gators for two more years and made his dream come true on May 7 when he finally enrolled at the University of Florida.

Most of the players and coaches have raved about how Black’s excitement to be at Florida.

“To finally get him here has been an awesome thing,” linebackers coach Christian Robinson said, according to Swamp247. “His story, I remember he was one of the first guys I had on campus for an official visit. Him and his mother here and just how excited they were to be Gators. And to take that journey I’m just so proud of him to finally be here.”

Florida fans also have noticed his joy. Pictures surfaced on social media of Black smiling while running stadiums. The rest of the team in the picture were just trying to catch their breath. Coach Dan Mullen makes the team run stadiums as punishment for every home loss they have that year.

However, most of the coaches on Florida’s defense don’t know where Black will end up because he’s a 6-foot-3-inch, 228-pound prospect that is athletic enough to play in the secondary and big enough to play at linebacker. Either way, the Gators will find a way to get him on the field because he’s too talented and versatile not to. Regardless of how his career turns out, it’s near impossible to not cheer for a player that has been through so much like Black.

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