Florida Gators secure major transfer portal win with a player that Jon Sumrall had to have back for the 2026 season

Jon Sumrall is on a recruiting heater right now, as he re-signed another major target in edge rusher Jayden Woods.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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New UF head football coach Jon Sumrall and his family lands at University Air Center in Gainesville, FL on Monday, December 1, 2025. The coach will replace the recently fired Billy Napier.
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall did it again, as star edge rusher Jayden Woods, who entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason, told the team he will re-sign for the 2026 season.

Getting Woods back is huge for the Gators. Going into the offseason, he was one of five players the Gators needed to retain, and Sumrall kept four, with the only holdout being quarterback DJ Lagway, who just finished visiting the Florida State Seminoles.

Florida Gators re-sign star edge rusher Jayden Woods

This is a major win for the Gators. Woods’ return, along with Wilson, Brown, and Baugh, sets the Gators up for a promising season, putting the College Football Playoff within reach.

Woods was one of the best players on the market. He ranks 13th on the On3 Sports transfer portal rankings and is the fourth-ranked edge rusher. He had already visited the Texas Longhorns. Even with him taking visits, the Gators never backed off to get him back to Gainesville.

During his true freshman season, Woods had to step up due to injuries across the defensive line, and rewarded the Gators with 27 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one pass defended, and one interception against Ole Miss.

With Woods returning, the Gators have a ton of potential on the defensive line. While they did lose defensive tackle Caleb Banks, edge rusher Tyreak Sapp, and edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. to the NFL Draft, and defensive tackle Michai Boireau to the Ole Miss Rebels, there is a lot of talent on the unit. They did add Emmanuel Oyebadejo from Jacksonville State, and he’s a massive man at 6-7 and 315 pounds.

Along with Oyebadejo, Woods will lead the defensive line with Brendan Bett, Kamran James, Joseph Mbatchou, and Jeramiah McCloud also returning, along with four-star true freshmen KJ Ford, JaReylan McCoy, and Kendall Guervil fortifying a talented unit.

Get excited for Sumrall’s Gators team in 2026, as they will be ready to rock come September.

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