Jon Sumrall continues exploring portal options for more defensive line help

We've hit the final stretch of the transfer portal season and there's still a lot of movement with the Gators going both ways. Florida saw another defensive lineman, who may or may not be out of eligibility, enter the transfer portal and, at the same time, the Gators staff is looking to fortify the defensive front with a portal addition.

According to various reports, it appears that defensive lineman Jerome Simmons is planning a visit to Gainesville. Simmons, a rising senior, played at UL-Monroe this past season and offers another big body that can eat up space on the line.

Simmons has great size (6-foot-4, 345 pounds) and he recorded ten tackles in eight games last season for the Warhawks. He projects as a rotational piece on the line that can occupy double teams, plug up holes in short-yardage situations and just provide another big body to defend the run. Simmons is expected to be at N.C. State today and possibly Florida after that.

How is Florida's transfer class so far?

The Gators have 21 commitments and a top-25 transfer class, led by wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn) and quarterback Aaron Philo (Georgia Tech) on offense and defensive backs DJ Coleman (Baylor) and Cam Dooley (Kentucky) on defense. 

It was expected there would be a lot of turnover on the roster when Jon Sumrall took the job in December and that has turned out to be accurate. The Gators have seen over 30 players from the 2025 roster enter the portal. 

When does the transfer portal close?

The three-day dead period in the transfer portal ended today and the portal officially closes tomorrow for all players not on the roster of a team in Monday's CFP Championship game. Visiting and signing will continue through the weekend and longer, but the deadline for players to get paperwork for entry into the portal ends January 16.