Jon Sumrall is working tirelessly to retain Florida Gators emerging star defender, and the next step will prove crucial

Despite entering the transfer portal, the Florida Gators aren’t out on edge rusher Jayden Woods, with Jon Sumrall making him a focus.

Tyler Forness NFL & College Football News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators linebacker Jaden Robinson (29), linebacker Jayden Woods (15) and linebacker Kamran James (24) react after an interception during the first quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The transfer portal has been open for a few days, and the Florida Gators have been active.

Head coach Jon Sumrall has already received a couple of commitments in the transfer portal, and more are expected to come quickly, with the biggest being former Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo.

Sumrall has been working hard on retaining multiple players, having already re-signed wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III. Running back Jadan Baugh is still up in the air, and quarterback DJ Lagway just spent time at Florida State.

Florida Gators are working to retain edge rusher Jayden Woods

Edge rusher Jayden Woods is the only player of the top-five targets to retain on the defensive side of the football. He has already visited Texas, but the Gators aren’t out of the picture. On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos reports that Sumrall is working hard on retaining Woods.

“Coming off a Texas visit, sources have told On3 that Florida is working to bring Woods back into the fold. The Gators held a Zoom call with his camp on Sunday night, and head coach Jon Sumrall could potentially take a trip to meet with him in person.”

This is an approach that Sumrall has already shown to take. He led a convoy to visit Baugh on Christmas Eve, and it led to increased optimism that he would re-sign with the Gators. Could the same thing happen with Woods?

It’s not out of the question. One of the complications with this entire equation is the new head coach and defensive coordinator. That means a new system and relationships need to be built from the ground up. If they can continue doing that with Woods, bringing him back is possible.

Only time will tell, but it’s evident that Sumrall is pulling out all the stops.