This transfer can and needs to be that guy Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

CBS Sports Analyst Names Gators Transfer WR a Must-Excel Candidate

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI
By Brooks Crew | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 3:18 PM ET

Coach Billy Napier, admittedly, has built himself a solid Florida Gators roster. However, this offseason, there was one gaping hole in Napier’s team he needed to fill– he needed to replace wide receiver Elijhah Badger.

Badger is big. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, the Chiefs’ new addition is “a Popeyes biscuit away from being a tight end,” as Booger McFarland would likely say. His stats, however, arguably justified just about everything else.

Boasting 39 catches for 806 yards with a ridiculous 20.7 yards per catch, Napier was right to want to find someone to fill this biscuit-shaped hole in his heart– and he may have just done it with UCLA transfer Michael Sturdivant.

Sturdivant stands at a staggering 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, so he’s for sure a size upgrade from Badger, and averaged around 16 yards per catch in 2023 before regressing to just over 14. He was a dual-sport athlete in high school, where he also participated in track and field, earning all-district honors in 2019.

247Sports Scouting Analyst Gabe Brooks describes Sturdivant as a “Big-framed wideout with good height and frame length… Dangerous run-after-catch playmaker. Tracks the deep ball well. Long stride that builds speed downfield… Can also leverage DBs better into breaks. High-major wideout with all-conference potential and an NFL Draft ceiling.”

If he truly is to serve as a successor to Badger and earn his projected NFL Draft pick, Sturdivant is going to need to stretch the field more, be more physical, and really connect with his new quarterback.

“Florida has plenty of weapons for DJ Lagway,” Chris Hummer of CBS Sports wrote, “but Sturdivant is a singular option on the outside among the roster's non-freshman receivers… If the Gators hope to reach their peak, Sturdivant needs to rediscover his 2023 form.”

So, though not a complete “make-or-break” player for the Gators, if Sturdivant can effectively replace Badger, he could very well be the piece that turns the already great Gators into a playoff contender.