Given that Billy Napier has been fired and the Gators went 4-8 in 2025, it is expected that Florida to have a number of players hit the transfer portal as Jon Sumrall tries to figure out his roster for 2026.
And while there will probably be some bigger surprises to come, Florida did have their first player publicly declare he is off to the transfer portal, and it is not a player most fans would even recognize.
Muizz Tounkara hits the transfer portal
Wide receiver Muizz Tounkara will be hitting the transfer portal. The Texas native made two catches this season for 12 yards. He was also featured on special teams and appeared in seven total games this season.
Tounkara is listed at 6’3” and was a lower-rated three-star prospect coming out of high school. He was one of four wide receivers the Gators signed as part of the class of 2025, and he flipped late to Florida. The Gators had offered Tounkara on October 31 last year, took a visit in November, and flipped from Arizona on November 25.
But it was clear Tounkara was going to have an uphill battle to get meaningful snaps with Florida, given he came in with Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, the two highly prized receivers in the class. Throw in Eugene Wilson III, Aidan Mizell, and J. Michael Sturdivant in 2025, and there just wasn’t room for Tounkara on the depth chart.
We would expect now that the bulk of Florida’s assistant coaches have been let go, including wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales, that more and more names will pop into the portal. Tank Hawkins will also be a likely candadite given that he sat out the back half of the season to perserve his redshirt status.
Technically speaking, the transfer portal will not officially open up until January 2, and it will only be open for 15 days, ending on January 16. There also will not be a spring transfer portal like there had been in the past.