Tag: Kiyaunta Goodwin

Florida football’s blue-chip offensive lineman transfer returns to portal

A big L for Napier and the Gators, but we wish nothing but the best for Goodwin and his mother.

Billy Napier and the Florida football program got some bad news on Tuesday when offensive lineman [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag], who had transferred from the Kentucky Wildcats to the Gators back in January, returned to the NCAA transfer portal, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz.

Goodwin stepped away from the program a little more than a week ago following his mother’s recent cancer diagnosis and it appears that the situation is a bit more grim than initially expected.

The highly-coveted lineman joined the Orange and Blue for spring workouts and scrimmages after spending his first year of college ball in Lexington. Early on, the 6-foot-8-inch, 340-pound behemoth was the Gators’ top-ranked transfer but unfortunately for the staff and his teammates, it looks like someone else will need to fill his shoes.

The former five-star recruit in the 2022 cycle saw little action during his true freshman campaign, getting reps mostly as a special teams blocker. There is no indication yet as to which programs he prefers to transfer to.

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Offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin stepping away from Gators

Offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin is stepping away from the Florida Gators to be closer to his family.

Florida offensive lineman [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] is stepping away from the program following his mother’s recent cancer diagnosis, according to 247Sports.

Goodwin transferred to the University of Florida ahead of spring practices after spending his first year of college ball at the University of Kentucky. A former five-star recruit, Goodwin didn’t settle into the role he expected in Lexington and looked to play significant snaps as a sophomore with the Gators. He had a good chance to start at right tackle, or at least compete for the job. in fall.

Instead, he’ll put his family first, and no one should speak badly about him for that decision. Gators Wire wishes the Goodwins the best and hopes for a speedy recovery, along with the rest of Gator Nation.

Following Goodwin’s departure, Florida is left with 16 scholarship offensive linemen. Alabama transfer Damieon George is most likely to hold down that right tackle spot.

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Florida football’s top incoming transfer per CBS Sports

This offensive lineman is the top get for the Gators via the transfer portal, per CBS Sports.

Billy Napier and Co. had the tough task of reloading the Florida football roster this offseason after a handful of players departed to the professional ranks while others sought greener pastures through the transfer portal. That second avenue, however, is a two-way street and the Gators have been taking advantage of college football’s de facto free agency system as well.

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee recently put together his list of top transfers for each Southeastern Conference school, including UF. For the Orange and Blue, he selected incoming offensive tackle [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag], formerly of the Kentucky Wildcats. Here is what Sallee has to offer on the subject.

The former five-star prospect from Kentucky is in the perfect position to make an immediate impact as Florida looks to replace four key offensive linemen from last year’s squad. If the Gators are going to have success under center with either Jack Miller III or Graham Mertz, Goodwin is going to have to live up to the hype.

Goodwin’s job will be to fill in for consensus All-American OL O’Cyrus Torrence, who did not allow a single sack his entire collegiate career stretching back to his time with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. And considering the ground game will likely be a major part of the plan in 2023 he will be very helpful there as well.

The Gators open up their 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT set.

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San Diego State transfer OL sets May official visit date with Florida

Florida’s looking to add some more pieces to its offensive line and former San Diego State lineman Josh Simmons might be a name to keep an eye on.

The Gators are looking to add to their offensive line room during the spring transfer portal period, and San Diego State’s [autotag]Josh Simmons[/autotag] is one of the top targets for Florida, according to Swamp247.

Billy Napier’s recruiting staff has been working to get Simmons on campus for a while, and now he’s locked in for an official visit May 5. The spring portal is open from April 15-30, so that means he’ll be in town after it closes. He could still commit and transfer sight unseen, though.

Simmons started all 13 games for San Diego State a year ago and finished the season one snap shy of 800. That’s enough of a sample size for draft experts to consider him a potential prospect, and getting reps in against the SEC would be the best way for him to keep his draft stock on the rise.

Florida added guard [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] and tackles [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] and [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] during the winter portal period, but it became apparent during spring practices and the Orange and Blue Game that Napier needed to add another player or two to the trenches.

Simmons fits the bill perfectly. He doesn’t necessarily have to step into a starting role right away, but he has the experience to do so if the team needs him to.

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Five incoming Florida transfers make 247Sports top-150 rankings

247Sports updated its transfer rankings on Wednesday and five incoming Gators are ranked inside the top 150.

The Florida Gators brought in 10 players through the transfer portal over the winter and four of them made the final update to the 247Sports Top150 transfer rankings.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag] is the highest-ranked Gator on the list. The Louisville transfer is No. 82 overall on the Top150 with a transfer grade of 91. Kentucky offensive tackle transfer [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] is next up at No. 96, and Memphis defensive line transfer [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag] is just outside the top 100 at No. 110 overall.

Baylor offensive guard transfer [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] is No. 138 on the list and former Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] rounds things out at No. 150. Both have a transfer grade of 90, meaning Florida is bringing in five players of the caliber or better.

On the other hand, Florida lost two players ranked in the top 150, offensive guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag] (No. 131) to USC and defensive back [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] (No. 143) to Pittsburgh.

The hope is that White’s departure will be offset by Mazzccua, but there’s no clear replacement for McMillon. Fortunately, the Gators focused heavily on defensive backs in the most recent recruiting cycle.

Although they didn’t make 247Sports’ list of the top transfers, Florida is counting on guys like linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag], running back [autotag]Cameron Carroll[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] to contribute. There was a ton of roster turnover during the offseason and there are several starting spots up for grabs.

It’s too early to tell how well Florida did in the transfer portal this offseason, but the early returns seem good.

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Florida’s offensive line a key focus for ESPN heading into 2023

Florida’s offensive line was a major reason the team wasn’t a complete disaster in 2022, and now the Gators have to replace four starters in the trenches.

Florida’s offensive line was among the best in the SEC and college football a season ago. Unfortunately, the Gators are replacing four starters on the offensive line after losing a pair of seniors to the NFL draft and two more to Southern California via the transfer portal.

UF will have center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] returning, but gone are left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag], left guard [autotag]Ethan White[/autotag], right guard [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] and right tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag]. Replacing those four is the top storyline of Florida’s spring, according to ESPN’s Chris Low and Hary Lyles Jr., who dove into each SEC program at the start of spring ball.

The Gators brought in three transfers on the offensive line over the offseason. Alabama‘s [autotag]Damieon George Jr[/autotag]. and former five-star Kentucky signee [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] should get a shot to play tackle for Florida along with a returning [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag], and Baylor transfers [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag] should step immediately into one of the vacant starting guard spots.

While it is almost a complete turnover in the trenches, Florida fans should still feel confident, according to Low and Lyles.

“The Gator faithful should feel confident in the abilities of offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] to get this group together, given their track record with [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s great offensive lines at Louisiana, which produced multiple NFL draft picks,” the ESPN story read.

Low and Lyles also pointed a newcomer on the team to watch and chose to pick a player that will be behind the offensive line transfers mentioned above. Wisconsin transfer [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] will be competing with [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag] for the starting quarterback job, and his experience in the Big Ten might give him the upper leg. Both he and the offensive line need to excel for Florida to have a bounce-back year.

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Florida has one of college football’s 12 most lethal rosters in 2023

Florida has a ton of talent on its roster heading into the 2023 season, but that doesn’t guarantee success.

The Florida Gators finished tied for 12th in 247Sports’ recent list of the most lethal rosters heading into the 2023 season.

247Sports’ Brad Crawford used the site’s team composite ranking to rank the teams. He took the average position of the team’s finish over the past five years and Florida finished with a 12.4 average, the same as Michigan.

Florida finished 14th in the country during the most recent cycle. Losing five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada hurt a class that had a chance to break the top 10. Florida’s first class under Billy Napier in 2022 ranked No. 18 overall, and Dan Mullen brought in the No. 12 class in 2021 and the No. 9 class in 2019 and 2020.

“When Florida is winning national titles, the Gators are one of the nation’s elite recruiting teams,” Crawford wrote. “And while this program has a top-12 roster based on talent heading into coach Billy Napier’s second season, there are certainly depth concerns that the coaching staff must contend with following a disappointing 6-7 finish under the new regime.”

The problem with using this metric to rank teams is that transfers come and go, and the bulk of the Mullen classes has moved on from the program in one way or another. The class of 2020 features some team leaders, such as receiver [autotag]Xzavier Henderson[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Derek Wingo[/autotag], but much of the class has transferred out or declared for the upcoming draft.

Florida also added a ton of transfer over the past two offseasons. Quarterbacks [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Cameron Carroll[/autotag], receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag], offensive linemen [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag], [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] and Micah Mazzccua, defensive linemen [autotag]Caleb Banks[/autotag] and [autotag]CamRon Jackson[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Teradja Mitchell[/autotag]  and cornerback [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] could all play significant roles for the team next season.

Florida could end up playing like a top-12 in the country by the season’s end, especially if the transfers help make up for the talent lost over the past few years, but it’s unwise to think of the Gators as a top-12 program in terms of actual talent heading into the season.

There’s been too much turnover in the program over the past couple of years for this metric to work for the Gators. A team like Michigan has a much better chance of living up to the expectations created by this list.

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Former Kentucky offensive lineman transferring to Florida

Florida lost four-fifths of its offensive line at the beginning of the offseason, but a third addition from the transfer portal has the position room restocked and ready to go.

Florida landed former Kentucky offensive lineman [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] from the transfer portal on Tuesday.

Goodwin recently took a multi-day trip to the Swamp and quickly made his decision to join the Gators after spending just a year in Lexington. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining in Gainesville after spending most of his freshman year as a special teams blocker for Kentucky.

Goodwin checks in at 6-foot-8-inches and 351 pounds, so he’s got the size to develop into one of the dominant bodies in the SEC trenches. Florida presents plenty of opportunity for him with four of five spots on the line being up for grabs.

Coming out of high school, Goodwin was a five-star prospect and ranked the No. 33 overall recruit in the 2022 class by 247Sports. Scouts have said that he has first-round potential, but he still has plenty of developing to do before he reaches that point.

Goodwin is the third offensive lineman to transfer to Florida this offseason along with former Alabama tackle [autotag]Damieon George[/autotag] and Baylor guard [autotag]Micah Mazzccua[/autotag]. Only center [autotag]Kingsley Eguakun[/autotag] returns as a starter on the line, and tackle [autotag]Austin Barber[/autotag] has some significant playing time too, so there’s plenty of room for all three transfers to find significant roles in the offense.

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Florida offers former Houston linebacker from transfer portal

This former Houston linebacker received an offer from the Gators via the transfer portal.

Florida has already added two linebackers from the transfer portal this offseason, and it looks like they’re not stopping any time soon. The Gators have extended an offer to former Houston linebacker [autotag]Mannie Nunnery[/autotag] on the same day that his name appeared in the portal.

Nunnery officially entered the portal on Thursday, Jan. 19, one day after the deadline of Jan. 18. Despite his name appearing after the deadline, programs are given 48 hours to officially enter a player’s name into the portal. Because Nunnery notified Houston before the deadline passed, he is deemed eligible for the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound linebacker spent four years with Houston, taking part in 25 games and recording 81 total tackles (41 solo), eight tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and forcing one fumble. He is projected to play the WILL linebacker spot if he accepts the offer and joins the Orange and Blue.

Florida has already added seven players from the portal at a variety of positions. All seven players, including former Wisconsin quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz,[/autotag] are enrolled in classes, on campus, and are ready to participate in spring practices. With former Kentucky offensive lineman [autotag]Kiyaunta Goodwin[/autotag] on campus this weekend for a visit, the Gators could be on their way to having double-digit transfer players on their 2023 roster.

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What to Watch: Early National Signing Day

Previewing what to expect for Michigan State on early national signing day:

December 15th marks a very important day in the college football universe. It is the early signing period, where recruits in that year’s respective class can sign their National Letters of Intent, officially binding them with the school they committed to.

The Spartans coaching staff has done a really nice job piecing together their 2022 recruiting class, already holding 20 commitments. When the class is put together this well, it takes some of the drama out of signing day, but it definitely has not taken all the drama away.

Take a look at the prospects you need to look out for tomorrow, to find out their final decisions, and how the Spartans will fair in those decisions: