![Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) leaves the field after beating Florida State 40-21 during an NCAA football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 29, Florida beat Florida State 40-21.2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_240,w_2775,h_1560/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kc26qav09atm9y08a7.jpg "Florida quarterback DJ Lagway (2) leaves the field after beating Florida State 40-21 during an NCAA football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 29, Florida beat Florida State 40-21.2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Slowly but surely, the Florida Gators are going to have more and more guys hit the transfer portal as Jon Sumrall tries to figure out his roster for 2026. While the portal doesn’t officially open until January, players can make it known they intend to hit the portal between now and then. Florida already had wide receiver Muizz Tounkara announce he plans to hit the portal, but Vernell Brown III seemed to indicate he intends to come back.
Sumrall has talked about the need for roster retention, so with that in mind, here are the five players Sumrall and the Gators need to retain to build a solid foundation for the 2026 season.
DJ Lagway
This is the low-hanging fruit that feels ripe for someone to come in with the messaging “We can fix you.” It’s also the type of risk that an established program may not want to take on, considering the amount of money they would need to pay out to land DJ Lagway.
But for Florida specifically, they are in an awkward spot if Lagway does leave. Tramell Jones looked solid against LIU and didn’t look great against Kentucky. Will Griffin is coming to town, but he will be a true freshman.
If Lagway left Florida would need to dip into the portal themselves, so the Gators are better off if they can retain Lagway.
Jadan Baugh
While Lagway might be too much of a risk for someone to take a swing on, one can almost assume that the payday for Jadan Baugh is going to be high this offseason.
One would think Baugh would be happy with his role in Florida’s offense, and new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner should be a good match for Baugh.
The Gators did not retain running backs coach Jabbar Juluke, so one never knows. But Sumrall made a point of emphasizing Baugh as a priority in his opening press conference.
Dallas Wilson
Another name who will probably have teams offering big money, we caught a tiny glimpse of what Dallas Wilson could be when he shredded Texas. But a foot injury against Georgia ended his season after appearing in just four games.
Wilson was active on X on Monday and made sure to give a shout-out to wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales, who was not retained by Sumrall.
When envisioning who Sumrall is going to want to retain, a former five-star receiver who looked like the real deal when healthy has to be high on the list.
Jayden Woods
Considering how much the coaching staff hyped up Jayden Woods before the season, we wouldn’t go as far as to state he lived up to expectations.
He still had an otherwise solid campaign for a freshman and was Florida’s most effective EDGE for long stretches of the season and would more than likely be a mainstay starter for the Gators if he comes back in 2026.
But considering he is from Kansas and doesn’t have direct ties to Florida like some others on the roster, we would imagine there will be a fight to retain him.
Bryce Thornton
Florida’s safeties were a constant sore subject when referencing the defense in 2025, but at least Bryce Thornton was a willing tackler who was afraid to make contact.
And while there may be debate on whether or not he gives Florida the best chance to win, the reality is that Florida’s safety depth is so thin right now that Sumrall will probably feel better off going through the spring with Thornton while also picking up another safety in the portal.