Gators Postseason Transfer Tracker: WR Daejon Reynolds Entering Portal

Photo: Daejon Reynolds; Credit: Zach Goodall 

The newly-instituted NCAA transfer portal window first opens on December 5 after postseason bowl selections are made.

The Florida Gators' roster is certain to be affected when it does.

Numerous UF players announced before the conclusion of the 2022 regular season that they have or will enter the portal imminently, with some having already graduated from the university and possessing immediate eligibility to transfer.

Additionally, edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. was dismissed from the team in late October and proceeded to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Florida expects the attrition to continue as the offseason approaches. Head coach Billy Napier shared on November 16 that some players have informed him of their intentions to transfer but plan to finish the 2022 season with the team.

All Gators is tracking Florida's 2022 postseason transfer portal movement below, logging both additions and subtractions to the roster as well as relevant portal recruiting updates.

WR Daejon Reynolds — announced intentions to enter transfer portal on November 30

Gators wide receiver Daejon Reynolds announced on Wednesday that he will enter the transfer portal, becoming the ninth Florida player with known intentions to transfer this offseason.

Reynolds, a redshirt freshman, will maintain three years of eligibility at his next stop.

The Springfield, Ill. native and Grayson (Ga.) High School product emerged as a contributor in Florida's passing offense this season as the Gators' wide receiver room experienced injuries. He peaked with 165 yards and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt in Week 12 and finished the campaign with 11 receptions for 244 yards and the two scores.

CB Avery Helm — reports of imminent transfer portal entry surfaced on November 28

All Gators reported on November 28 that Helm, a third-year sophomore and former UF starting cornerback, intends to enter the transfer portal once the window opens. He's the eighth Florida player to emerge as portal-bound since the beginning of the 2022 season.

Helm finished his three-year Florida career with 31 total tackles and four defended passes across 22 appearances and 13 starts. Pro Football Focus credits Helm for allowing just 46 percent of his 63 career targets in coverage to be caught.

LB Diwun Black — announced intentions to enter transfer portal on November 16

Black, a fourth-year junior linebacker, was removed from Florida's roster in Week 12 and will enter the portal on December 5. A fan-favorite, Black transferred to UF before the 2021 season from the junior college level after previously committing to the Gators as a high school recruit in the class of 2019.

Black appeared in seven games with the Gators, totaling seven tackles and one tackle for loss during his two seasons with UF. He also recovered an onside kick amid Florida's comeback attempt against Tennessee in Week 4.

TE Griffin McDowell — entered transfer portal on November 16

A graduate student, McDowell was the sixth Florida player to announce they will enter the transfer portal and he has already done so. That being said, McDowell remained with the team through the conclusion of the regular season.

The fifth-year redshirt junior appeared in 40 games during his UF career, primarily on special teams although he spent positional time across the offensive and defensive lines as well as at tight end this year.

TE Nick Elksnis —announced intentions to enter transfer portal on November 15

Elksnis, a redshirt freshman tight end, will enter the transfer portal on December 5. He was removed from UF's injury report, where he had been listed as out since Week 6 with an upper-body injury, in Week 12 as he is no longer with the program.

A former Penn State commitment who flipped to Florida in the class of 2021, Elksnis did not post a reception across his eight career appearances with the Gators.

WR Trent Whittemore — entered transfer portal on November 14

A local recruit from Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz, Whittemore left the team and entered the portal before Florida traveled to take on Vanderbilt in Week 12. Whittemore graduated from UF over the summer, allowing him to survey his transfer options immediately.

Whittemore showed promise as a possession receiver across the 2020-21 seasons, compiling 29 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed three-of-four passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns in that stretch. However, injuries limited Whittemore to just 17 games in that span, and he only caught four passes for 87 yards in six games this season.

Whittemore's younger brother Creed, a fellow Buchholz product and former 2023 commit to Florida, flipped his pledge to Mississippi State in October. 

DB Kamar Wilcoxson — announced intentions to enter transfer portal on November 3

Wilcoxson was the third Florida player to announce he would enter the portal during the season. He left the team prior to the Gators' matchup with Texas A&M.

Wilcoxson signed with the Gators as a late addition to their 2020 recruiting class at the age of 17 after reclassifying from the class of 2021. Although he earned playing time as a true freshman and even recorded a takeaway, Wilcoxson suffered a season-ending knee injury during the 2021 preseason and could not re-emerge in UF's secondary this year.

LS Marco Ortiz — entered transfer portal on October 26

Ortiz, Florida's Week 1 starting long snapper, entered the portal just before the Gators' matchup with Georgia. He has remained with the team while inactive due to an upper-body injury he suffered in the season-opener against Utah. 

Redshirt freshman Rocco Underwood performed well in Ortiz's absence throughout the campaign. Barring a class of 2023 commitment at the position, Ortiz's departure will decrease Florida's scholarship count at long snapper to one (Underwood).

Ortiz spent five years at UF and appeared in 16 games, starting 14. 

OL Josh Braun — announced intentions to enter transfer portal on October 18

Braun was the first member of Florida's roster to leave the team during the 2022 season, announcing his intention to transfer just before completing his classes to earn his degree. He has begun to visit other programs and made his way to Florida State on November 15.

The Live Oak (Fla.) Suwannee product flipped his class of 2020 commitment from Georgia to Florida just prior to the early signing period. Braun would go on to spend over two seasons with the Gators, appearing in 26 games with seven starts in 2021.