The transfer portal positions Florida must attack immediately when the window opens

While players all over the country have been announcing their plans to hit the transfer portal, the portal itself doesn’t actually open up until January 2. The portal will stay open until January 16 and then close for good, with no spring portal opening up.

During the Billy Napier Era, the Gators were notoriously slow when it came to attacking the portal. Jon Sumrall claims he is not going to repeat that mistake.

So with that in mind, let’s go position by position and see which groups will be in the most need of portal additions based upon who is slated to return for Florida in 2026.

Quarterback

Given that Florida is moving on from DJ Lagway, this group is a given to get portal action. The Gators have been heavily linked to Georgia Tech QB Aaron Philo, but there is a belief that Florida wants to take two QBs in the portal. 

Florida also has Tramell Jones coming back, who will also be in the running for the starting job in 2026.

Running Back

This will depend upon whether Jadan Baugh stays or goes. But even if he goes, and even though Florida has seen a couple of other backs hit the portal, the Gators still have Treyaun Webb and Duke Clark coming back for 2026 as of now.

So even if Baugh does decide to go, we can’t imagine this being a high-priority position for Florida to attack.

Wide Receiver

This is another group that could get complicated. Vernell Brown III just announced he is coming back, and Florida is working to get Dallas Wilson to come back. If the latter Wilson does come back, there will be a ton of money tied up in those two that would make it hard to justify spending big money on a portal receiver.

This room will need some depth pieces, but it would be surprising to see Florida go big game hunting here.

Tight End

Tony Livingston is coming back, so unless a big-name tight end is out there, this is probably a spot where Florida either looks for depth or just holds serve.

Offensive Line

This will be a group that has a ton to replace in 2026. The problem is that high-quality offensive linemen, tackles in particular, tend to be harder to find in the portal compared to other position groups. It won’t stop Florida from poking around, and if there is a high-quality tackle in the portal, then Florida needs to go all in to land him.

EDGE

Much like the wide receiver room, this is a group that probably needs to add a couple of pieces but also might have money locked up in guys already on the roster. Jayden Woods will be back and hopes to continue his solid freshman campaign. Former five-star LJ McCray is also slated to return, and he might become the single biggest wildcard on the roster for the 2026 season.

Defensive Tackle

This was a group that Florida needed to attack in the portal last season, and instead sat on their hands. The one benefit is that this group will have a good chunk of returning experience to the unit. Whether or not any of them count as impact players is a different debate.

Linebacker

With Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles coming back in 2026, it is hard to see Florida go grab anything but depth for this group.

Cornerback

A tough room to evaluate because there are several guys coming back with huge potential (Ben Hanks III, Cormani McClain, Dijon Johnson), but there is minimal proven production coming back in the group. This feels like a spot where Florida would try to grab a proven veteran if he is out there.

Safety

Much like the corners, the safety group has a ton of guys waiting in the wings who have high-end potential (Drake Stubbs and Lagonza Hayward), but minimal proven snaps. We would expect this to be a spot to look at for a proven guy if he is out there.