We here at Hail Florida Hail have obviously been extremely critical of Billy Napier, even long after he has been let go as the head coach of the Gators. We are also a site that believes fair is fair.
So it’s with that in mind that one of Napier’s under-the-radar portal additions that initially had everyone scratching their heads had wound up morphing himself into a day three NFL Draft pick.
George Gumbs Jr. gets drafted in the 5th round by the Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have selected George Gumbs Jr. with the 156th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s a finale for a journey that was anything but standard.
Gumbs was the 1704th-rated prospect in the class of 2021, and he committed to NIU as a 6’4” wide receiver listed at 180 pounds.
No, that’s not a misprint.
Gumbs bulked up to 230 pounds by 2022 and took 189 snaps as a tight end for Northern Illinois. He then moved to EDGE in 2023 and took 430 snaps on the defensive side, he first season playing defense.
So when Napier grabbed him out of the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season, he was seen as a massive project for the Gators to take on and was mostly an afterthought for most Gator fans. Gumbs started flashing early, though in the 2024 campaign, and finished the year with five sacks and 18 QB hurries on the season.
Injuries didn’t help his 2025 campaign, but he did have four QB pressures against Georgia and a sack. He injured his knee against Ole Miss and was knocked out for the rest of the season, but he was back in time for the NFL Combine and Florida’s Pro Day.
While Florida has had a number of defensive tackles drafted during the Billy Napier Era, Gumbs is now the only EDGE that was drafted under Napier, and he is just the first EDGE drafted for Florida since 2020, when Jabari Zuniga was drafted in the third round.
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