In the era of the transfer portal, more and more Florida players transfer out, finish their college careers, and then pop back up on the radar as NFL players.
With the NFL preseason underway, three former Gators who finished their college careers elsewhere made their NFL preseason debuts over the past couple of days.
Former Gators who made their preseason debut
Caleb Douglas - Texas Tech - Miami Dolphins
We have highlighted Caleb Douglas a couple of times as a player we liked during his time in Gainesville, but Billy Napier seemed determined not to target him in the passing game. The irony is that his final play with the Gators was a 34-yard reception, during which he hurt his leg and missed the rest of the season.
Douglas transferred out to Texas Tech and became a key cog of their offense.
The Miami Dolphins drafted him in the third round, and he made his presence felt on Friday night with a highlight-reel grab that had the NFL world buzzing. The 28-yard catch was his only catch on the night.
Caleb Douglas oh my 😮
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
MIAvsWAS
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/21vkGuMeTb
Jack Pyburn - LSU - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Douglas transferred out on mostly positive terms with Gator fans, the saga that led Jack Pyburn to transfer didn’t leave him with many supporters in Gainesville. Reports of financial and playing-time demands were ridiculous for a player of his profile. Pyburn was a high-energy guy and a better run stopper than most gave him credit for, but he had one career sack over three years with the Gators.
He finished his 2025 campaign with LSU with 52 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks.
He went undrafted and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made quite the debut for a player trying to make the roster, racking up two sacks in his three total tackles.
Big play for #Bucs. Rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn.. who played for LSU and Florida pic.twitter.com/JxnRr8ND2H
— Aileen Hnatiuk (@AileenHnatiuk) August 15, 2026
Chris McClellan - Missouri - Green Bay Packers
Chris McClellan was one of the more intriguing players from the Billy Napier era because he was one of the first to draw comparisons to the Dan Mullen era and made it seem like Napier was actually holding guys accountable.
He was decent during his two years in Gainesville, but he transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2024 season and continued to improve, posting two solid years with the Tigers, culminating in six sacks in 2025.
McClellan was drafted in the third round by the Green Bay Packers. He played 21 snaps in Green Bay’s preseason opener, and Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 71.9 for the game.
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