Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Florida Gators Loses 20th Player To The Transfer Portal

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Matthew Brown | Last updated 12/31/23

The Florida Gators have not been having a great transfer portal season. While player movement is expected in college football nowadays, the Gators have almost lost an entire starting unit. They got another blow when linebacker Scooby Williams announced he was entering the transfer portal.

BREAKING: Florida LB Scooby Williams plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 6’3 230 LB was ranked as a Top 85 Recruit in the ‘21 Class

Will have 2 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/oKMsv7ra8k pic.twitter.com/84nhilde9Y

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 31, 2023

Florida Gators Lose LB Scooby Williams To The Transfer Portal

Williams was a top-85 recruit in the 2021 class. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker will have two years of eligibility left. In 2023, he had 53 tackles including four for loss, one sack, and two forced fumbles but he has decided to take his talents elsewhere. His departure is likely tied to linebackers coach Jay Bateman taking the defensive coordinator job at Texas A&M. The Aggies will be a team to watch because of it.

A Tough Offseason For Florida

Williams is the 20th player to leave via the transfer portal. Many of them were top players from last year’s squad. The Gators have to hope they can either land some players of their own from the portal or have their young players step up. It isn’t going to be easy in the SEC with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and many more top-tier programs are still lurking as well.

Can the Florida Gators survive in 2024? They will need some help if they are going to be able to compete in the SEC.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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