Florida football: What impact will landing Devon Manuel in the transfer portal have?

Florida football is on a tear in the transfer portal and added another big body to their haul ahead of the 2024 season.

After having him on a visit this week, Arkansas OL transfer Devon Manuel announced his commitment to the Gators on Friday.

It was a well-timed announcement, as it came shortly after news that Gators' OL Richie Leonard plans to enter the transfer portal ahead of next season.

With Leonard gone and the Gators in need of depth along the offensive line, the importance of Manuel being on the roster has only increased.

Florida football: Back to full strength

Manuel played just over 400 snaps this season with Arkansas due to injury. He was a starter to begin the year, was eased back into game action, and then returned to the starting lineup for the last few games.

In those 400+ snaps, he allowed four sacks, two pressures, and eight hurries. Would we have likes those numbers to perhaps be a little lower? Sure. But you can't hold that against Manuel right now.

He's just a sophomore who wasn't healthy for most of last season. He still has plenty of development ahead of him, and a healthy season will lead to better numbers.

Plus, he's a scary sight to see getting off the bus. Devon stands at 6'9''-310 and is a mountain along the offensive line. If he gets his hands on you, you might as well take the rest of the play off.

Adding a guy with SEC starting experience to the offensive line is always a good thing, especially a guy who was coached by Sam Pittman.

With Florida losing a couple of OLs to the transfer portal already, it's important to build up depth along the line, which is exactly what Billy Napier is doing.