jadarrius perkins – Syndication Server

Former Florida defensive back transfers to Toledo Rockets

Former Florida Gators defensive back finds new home with the Toledo Rockets

The offseason has been full of departures for the Florida Gators and another member of the 2023 football roster is on his way out the door to head north.

Florida defensive back [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] announced his commitment from the transfer portal to become the newest addition to the Toledo Rockets football program. Perkins entered the portal after the conclusion of college football’s Week 1.

Perkins is transferring from Florida as a graduate student after earning his degree in Education Sciences back in August.

The defensive back made this statement when he entered the portal, thanking the Florida Gators.

“I want to appreciate Dan Mullen and Scott Stricklin for giving me the opportunity to be a Gator, something I’ll remember and cherish forever,” Perkins wrote. “With that being said I have decided to enter my name in the Transfer Portal as a Graduate. A really unfortunate situation I love all of my teammates that has kept me up throughout everything.”

“I dropped everything to go and chase my dreams,” Perkins said in his announcement. “They thought I was crazy.”

Perkins appeared in 23 games throughout his career at UF, but only made one appearance this past season in the road loss to the Utah Utes in Week 1. The graduate student collected 40 tackles, including three for a loss, and a lone interception.

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Gators senior defensive back announces move to transfer portal

Defensive Back Jadarrius Perkins only played one snap for the Gators last week and will venture else to finish his college football career.

Florida football lost a defensive backfield member after one week of action.

Fifth-year senior [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] announced he is entering the transfer portal in a social media post on Thursday afternoon. After losing the position battle to cornerback Jaydon Hill, Perkins is packing his things to find an opportunity elsewhere.

Perkins transferred to Florida after playing JUCO ball at Mississippi Gulf Coast and training at Spring camp with the Missouri Tigers in 2021.

The now-former Gator received one snap in the season opener against Utah but managed to record a tackle on the lone play. He tallied 40 total tackles (three for a loss) and snagged an interception in his two seasons playing for the Gators.

The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native wrote his thanks to members of the Florida Gators staff, including former head coach Dan Mullen.

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— Jadarrius Perkins (@JDKNOWS2100) September 7, 2023

The Gators look to even up their overall record before conference play begins against the Cowboys, who travel to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff time is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

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2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Safeties/STAR

Florida lost all three starters from the third level over the offseason, but there’s a room full of young talent that is ready to step up.

After looking at every other offensive and defensive player on Florida’s roster, it’s time to wrap things up with the safeties and STAR position players.

Trey Dean and Rashad Torrence held down both starting safety spots for all of 2022, but now two doors have opened for some young talent to step up. At STAR, Jaydon Hill and Jadarrius Perkins look to split duties after Tre’Vez Johnson departed the program.

This group might not be the most experienced, but there is a ton of raw talent ready to be unlocked.

Here’s a look at every safety and STAR on Florida’s 2023 fall roster.

Former Michigan safety transferring to Florida

Billy Napier wanted to add another defensive back to the roster through the spring transfer portal, and he’s found his man in former Michigan safety RJ Moten.

The Florida Gators earned a commitment from Michigan transfer safety [autotag]RJ Moten[/autotag] on Tuesday, one day after his official visit.

Moten is a Florida legacy. His dad, Ron Moten Sr., played for the Gators from 1982-1986 and was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadephia Eagles. The junior Moten joins the Orange and Blue with two years of eligibility left.

A former four-star recruit, Moten signed with the Michigan Wolverines in 2020 and appeared in one game on special teams as a freshman before redshirting.

His second year in Ann Arbor was more eventful. Moten played in all 14 of the Wolverines’ games and started five of them. As a junior in 2022, he started 10 games at safety, but eventually lost the job to Makari Page. With younger talent also improving and forcing competition, Moten’s best career move was to hit the transfer portal after spring practices.

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Now, Moten will join a safety room that is losing two starters from a season ago in Florida. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] both signed undrafted free-agent contracts with NFL teams and Moten offers a veteran replacement to either of those two. He could also wind up playing the STAR position, which was left vacant when [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] transferred out.

Sophomores [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are expected to play significant roles in Florida’s secondary, and senior [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] might be the only other lock for playing time as an expected starter.

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Taking a look at Florida’s depth chart ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl is almost here and Florida is working with a different look roster after a busy start to the transfer season.

Florida’s depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl looks a whole lot different from the opening-day roster, but that’s expected as players leave for the draft, enter the transfer portal and suffer injuries over the course of the year.

Starting with the offense, Florida is down players at every position but running back. [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] is making his first start at quarterback with [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] headed to the NFL, and walk-on [autotag]Kyle Engel[/autotag] true will serve as the backup. True freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] is listed as the third-string option under center.

[autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] are the only available running backs on Saturday, but that duo has the bulk of Florida’s carries over the season so it shouldn’t be a problem.

[autotag]Justin Shorter[/autotag] is preparing for the draft, which means [autotag]Xavier Henderson[/autotag] is the new No. 1 out wide for the Gators. True freshman [autotag]Caleb Douglas[/autotag] gets the No. 2 spot (and his second start) with [autotag]Daejon Reynolds[/autotag] in the transfer portal, and [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] is still in the slot. Despite losing some talent from the receivers room, Florida is in an okay spot heading into the bowl game.

#Gators depth chart for the Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oregon State pic.twitter.com/PltcIFsftl

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) December 15, 2022

At tight end, [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] is still dealing with an injury, meaning [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] is the starter once again. [autotag]Jonathan Odom[/autotag] was productive as the team’s second tight end towards the end of the season and will get another shot to audition for next year against Oregon State.

Florida’s offensive line features a new face: Redshirt freshman [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], who will get his first start at right guard with O’Cyrus Torrence headed to the pros. Left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] is also going to the NFL, but he could start in the bowl game and is officially listed as an “or” option along with [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag]. [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinglsey Eguakun[/autotag] remain at left guard and center, and [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] returns to the right tackle spot. Christian Williams could see an increase in snaps as the primary backup for either guard spot with [autotag]Richie Leonard[/autotag] injured.

Now on to the defense.

Florida’s defensive line looks the same as it was through the final few games of the season: [autotag]Gervon Dexter Sr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Princely Umanimielen[/autotag] at defensive end, [autotag]Desmond Watson [/autotag]at nose tackle and [autotag]Antwaun Powell-Ryland J[/autotag]r. at the JACK linebacker spot. The big change in the front seven comes at [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]’s linebacker spot which now belongs to [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag]. [autotag]Amari Burney[/autotag] is the other starting linebacker, but expect [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag] and [autotag]Scooby Williams[/autotag] to get some work in too.

In the secondary, [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] remain as Florida’s starting cornerbacks, and [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag] will get another run at their respective safety spots. [autotag]Jadarrius Perkins[/autotag] is stepping in for an injured [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] at the STAR, but that shouldn’t disrupt the defense too much.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Safeties

Three returning starters headline the safeties group at Florida in 2022, but there’s a good amount of young talent behind them to be excited about.

Rounding out the defense in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster are the safeties.

Florida’s scheme calls for five defensive backs and utilizes the nickelback position, which they call the STAR. Fortunately, the Gators return starters at all three positions in 2022. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] are back to man the safety spots, and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] is at the STAR.

Behind them are a group of relatively young and inexperienced players, some of which could take a huge step over the season if they see enough snaps. At the top of that list might be [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], the surprise five-star signing that Billy Napier pulled off during the early signing period last year.

This should be one of the stronger position groups on the team this year given the returning experience in the room. Here is a look at all 13 safeties on the 2022 Florida football fall roster.

This former Missouri cornerback transfer just enrolled at Florida

Perkins teams up with his former teammate at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Diwun Black who enrolled at the start of Summer A.

Former Missouri cornerback Jadarrius Perkins gave Florida and coach Dan Mullen his verbal commitment back in May. He finally arrived and enrolled at UF in Gainesville Monday just in time for the start of the Summer B semester.

This offseason wasn’t the first time Florida recruited Perkins. The coaching staff tried to convince him to suit up in the orange and blue when he finished his time in the junior college ranks. As a former Oregon Ducks commit, Perkins showed interest in the Gators because of their production of defensive backs, but he never made a trip to the Swamp.

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He eventually wound up signing with the Missouri Tigers on National Signing Day 2021. His time there was short because he entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 29. Cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar reached out to him to offer a scholarship on May 10. He verbally committed to Florida 12 days later.

Perkins will also team up with his former teammate at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Diwun Black who enrolled at the start of Summer A.

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This Gators cornerback trusts his physicality to win DC Todd Grantham’s trust

The transferring defensive back brings toughness to his new role in the SEC as he tries to earn the confidence of Todd Grantham.

The Gators absolutely need to improve their defensive secondary before the 2021 college football season kicks off. For as experienced and athletic as their starters were last season, their on-field product was simply inexcusable. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was given another year to turn the ship around, and he’s not going to fail for a lack of trying.

One of the players the Gators brought in-house was Missouri transfer cornerback Jadarrius Perkins. The JUCO product was only with the Wildcats for a little while before and after their spring practice before hitting the transfer portal again. He landed with the Gators in late May, expected to compete for a role as one of the starting defensive backs.

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Fans of the program got a better idea of who Perkins is through a story written by G. Allan Taylor based on interviews with and about the newest addition to the team.

“I wanna press. I can play off, but I wanna press,” Perkins said to Taylor. “I’ve got faith in my ability that I won’t get beat.”

That bully attitude fits well with the kind of gritty, high-effort defense that Grantham wants to execute in his revamped defensive unit. It also meshes well with the man coverage ability of his fellow defensive backs Kaiir Elam and Jason Marshall Jr.

However, when the rubber meets the road, Perkins will be in direct competition for playing time with that duo. Despite eventually deciding he wasn’t a fit for the Tigers, he counts his time with Mizzou as valuable in preparing him for the Gators.

“All of the reps were valuable because you only get better by playing. It helped me get accustomed to the SEC and helped me know where I was against other SEC athletes with me coming from JUCO,” said Perkins.

The 2021 season will be one that presents Perkins with opposition tougher than he’s faced before and no guarantees about his role on the squad. His mentality and experience give him an edge, but with Grantham setting a high standard and facing the SEC for the first time, he’ll have to put up a good product on the field.

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This Gators cornerback trusts his physicality to win DC Todd Grantham’s trust

The transferring defensive back brings toughness to his new role in the SEC as he tries to earn the confidence of Todd Grantham.

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Fans of the program got a better idea of who Perkins is through a story written by G. Allan Taylor based on interviews with and about the newest addition to the team.

“I wanna press. I can play off, but I wanna press,” Perkins said to Taylor. “I’ve got faith in my ability that I won’t get beat.”

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This high-profile JUCO cornerback transfer commits to the Gators

Defensive end Jadarrius Perkins had trouble staying with a commitment to a program this offseason but appears to have settled on Florida.

The Gators’ defense is taking on a whole new look in 2021. That doesn’t comes as a surprise after the unit badly underperformed its talent level and promptly sent a handful of players, including Marco Wilson and TJ Slaton, to the professional level. We’ve written about just how much the team’s secondary will improve in the capable hands of Kaiir Elam and Jason Marshall Jr. Florida is adding another cornerback to the program, landing a commitment from Missouri transfer Jadarrius Perkins.

Unranked as a high schooler and beginning his career at Mississippi Gulf Coast, he leveraged a successful junior college career into a busy recruitment period this offseason. He picked up scholarship offers from colleges ranging from Akron to Alabama. First showing serious interest in transferring to Oregon, he turned cold to their advances and decommitted in December.

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The next step in his journey took him to Mizzou. Perkins went further than just committing to the Tigers, he went so far as to enroll at the school and participate in spring camp. Evidently going through another change of heart, he entered the portal on April 29th, and after getting no new offers, committed to Florida on Saturday.

The Gators’ new defensive back has a 6-foot-2-inch frame and weighs 185 pounds. His size and athletic traits give him versatility as a cornerback prospect.

“He can press receivers at the line with physicality, or back off and run with them step for step down the football field,” wrote 247Sports in early 2020. “Perkins shows he’s comfortable putting his hands on wide outs near the line of scrimmage and knocking them off their routes. He also recovers well down the field if he does happen to get beat by a step off the line.”

The Gators choice to bring in an experienced corner who can play outside or inside gives the team an excellent fallback option at either position. Particularly because cornerbacks often have a difficult time adjusting to a boost in competition, this pickup smells like insurance for freshman Marshall Jr.

There’s no guarantee that Perkins will wind up playing for the Gators until he takes snaps in-game at the Swamp. He has a long history of indecisiveness in picking a destination dating back to his high school days. For now, though, he’s some useful padding for the cornerbacks room.

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