With NFL rosters essentially set ahead of the 2026 season, the Gators have 40+ former players who will be suiting up this year.
But 10 former Gators who transferred away and finished their college careers elsewhere will also start the 2026 season on an NFL roster.
10 former Gators who transferred who will be on an NFL roster in 2026
Caleb Douglas - Texas Tech - Miami Dolphins
We have highlighted Caleb Douglas a couple of times as one of the players that Billy Napier just never figured out how to use. The irony is that the last play Douglas had with Florida was a lengthy catch against Kentucky that resulted in him getting hurt for the rest of the year.
He transferred to Texas Tech and became one of their primary receivers. He was a third-round pick by the Dolphins in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chris McClellan - Missouri - Green Bay Packers
Chris McClellan’s time with Florida was interesting because he was one of the crossover players from Dan Mullen to Billy Napier, and he was one of the early defenders of Napier. But he wound up transferring to Missouri and became a third-round pick for the Green Bay Packers in this past draft.
Donovan McMillon - Pitt - Cleveland Browns
Even though he was a four-star prospect, Donovan McMillon was essentially an afterthought during his time with the Gators. He had less than 100 snaps in both 2021 and 2022.
But he transferred to Pitt for the 2023 season and instantly became a productive starter for the Panthers. He went undrafted, but he managed to stick around with Cleveland last year and appeared in all 17 games, primarily on special teams. As of now, he is being kept of the 53-man roster for the Browns.
Feleipe Franks - Arkansas - Carolina Panthers
Credit to Feleipe Franks for finding a way to stick around in the NFL into what will be his 5th season in the league. The one-time QB for Florida, of course, lost his role to Kyle Trask after Franks suffered a horrific injury early in 2019. He transfered to Arkansas, and his 2020 year wasn’t actually that bad, as he had a completion percentage of 68.1%
But in the NFL, he has transformed into a tight end, and he is slowly starting to get some real snaps at the position.
Jack Pyburn - LSU - Kansas City Chiefs
At this point, Jack Pyburn is going to have his own 30 for 30 even if he doesn’t play a down for the Chiefs. If you have been following his saga and are confused why he is listed with the Chiefs, it’s because Kansas City claimed him after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived him this weekend.
And to his credit, Pyburn did have a solid training camp and preseason. Pyburn has said he plans to stick with the Chiefs and isn’t going to try and head back to LSU.
Jacoby Brissett - NC State - Arizona Cardinals
It is wild that, of all the QBs Florida has had filter through during the years, Jacoby Brissett is one of only two former Gators currently on an active NFL roster as a QB (Anthony Richardson being the other; Graham Mertz is on injured reserve).
Brissett transferred after the 2012 season, before the transfer portal was even a thing. He sat out a year at NC State before his big years in 2014 and 2015 led to him getting drafted in 2016. He has been the definition of a journeyman QB ever since, but he did have career highs last year with Arizona. He enters 2026 as the expected starter for the Cardinals.
Jalen Farmer - Kentucky - Indianapolis Colts
Jalen Farmer came to Florida as a mid-tier three-star prospect, and he got minimal snaps during his two years with the Gators. He transferred to Kentucky, where he instantly became one of their starting guards, and he finished the 2025 season with 818 snaps.
He wound up getting drafted in the 4th round by the Colts, and this will be his rookie year in the NFL.
James Houston - Jackson State - Dallas Cowboys
If you want a case study where not all paths to the NFL look the same, look no further than James Houston. After a rocky start to his Florida career that saw him get suspended because of his role in a credit card fraud scheme, Houston played closed to 600 snaps over the next three years under Dan Mullen.
But he transferred to Jackson State ahead of the 2021 season, and he had a monster year with the Tigers and was credited with 16.5 sacks and 24.5 tackles for a loss in 2021. He was originally selected in the 6th round by the Detroit Lions, but he has bounced around a bit. Last year he got 305 snaps with the Cowboys.
Trevor Etienne - Georgia - Carolina Panthers
Most Gator fans don’t need a reminder of Trevor Etienne’s transfer from Florida to Georgia. We highlighted at the time of his transfer that it was one of the first major signs that Billy Napier’s battleship had a massive crack in it.
Etienne was used as a punt returner more than anything else last year in his rookie campaign. He is starting the 2026 season on IR but should return at some point.
Ty’Ron Hopper - Missouri - Green Bay Packers
Ty’Ron Hopper was one of those players in 2021 where you felt like something was there, and if he had stuck around, he could have been a building piece during the transition from Mullen to Napier, but instead he transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2022 season.
He has been used largely on special teams his first two years with the Packers.
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