Gators HC Jon Sumrall could target a familiar face in the transfer portal to fortify a position with multiple departures
Jon Sumrall was adamant that he won’t poach anyone from Tulane, but he will call them if they enter the transfer portal and are a Florida caliber player.
The Florida Gators have been decimated during the last few days with players declaring their intentions to enter the transfer portal.
The floodgates opened with reports that quarterback DJ Lagway was planning on entering the transfer portal, and news started to come fast and furious, with the latest being wide receiver Aidan Mizell. The news isn’t just about players leaving, as Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo is likely heading to Gainesville.
Head coach Jon Sumrall could bring in one of his former players
When head coach Jon Sumrall took the job, he knew there would be some roster turnover. It was the same way during his two years at Tulane, especially last year when he lost quarterback Darian Mensah and running back Makhi Hughes. This season, he could bring a player from his team last year to Gainesville, as all-AAC defensive lineman Santana Hopper is planning on entering the transfer portal.
After spending his first three seasons at Appalachian State, Hopper played for Sumrall at Tulane and nearly doubled the amount of snaps from his time with the Mountaineers. He logged 13 sacks in his career, along with 86 pressures on 773 pass rush reps per Pro Football Focus.
He’s a 6-2, 265-pound edge rusher who can help replace the losses of George Gumbs Jr. and Tyreak Sapp. There are players in Gainesville in Jayden Woods and LJ McCray, along with incoming freshmen KJ Ford and JaReylan McCoy, who will be ready to fill those roles, but adding Hopper will be a nice boost to the depth for defensive coordinator Brad White.
It’s important to note that Sumrall has been on record stating he won’t intentionally try to poach any of his former players because he believes in doing the right thing by Tulane. He did say, however, that if one of his former players chose to enter the portal and if Sumrall believed that he could play at Florida, he would make the call.
Hopper could be the first from the Green Wave to head east to Gainesville.
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Florida Gators Transfer Portal Tracker: Updates on players leaving Gainesville led by DJ Lagway
Tracking every Florida Gators player who plans to enter the transfer portal, with quarterback DJ Lagway leading the way.
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Florida Gators have a clear DJ Lagway replacement in front of them, and there’s a connection that could make it happen
The Florida Gators are searching for a QB to replace DJ Lagway, and they may have one in Georgia Tech’s Aaron Philo, who is entering the transfer portal.
