![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier argues with officials during the first quarter of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01k16fc3jhqa44h3f36p.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier argues with officials during the first quarter of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
Over the past three offseasons, the Florida Gators have had at least 20 players hit the transfer portal at the end of the season. Some of these players were castaways who seldom saw the field, while others simply went fishing for a better pay day elsewhere.
So while it may seem silly to be talking about the transfer portal before a single down of football has been played in 2025, the reality is that these are five players who need a big year in 2025 or else could wind up being transfer portal candidates come December.
Aidan Mizell enters make-or-break year
Aidan Mizell came to town as part of the talented trio of wide receivers the Gators signed in 2023. Andy Jean is already gone, and Eugene Wilson was hurt for most of 2024.
Mizell was one of the more complicated players to figure out on Florida's roster in 2024. Every time he touched the ball, he looked explosive and showed flashes that he could be a downfield threat for the Gators.
Yet as the season wound down, he was stuck behind Marcus Burke on the depth chart. Burke has since transferred to UCF, and on paper, Mizell enters 2025 as WR3.
If Mizell can get chemistry with DJ Lagway and have a great year, then it sets him up for a big 2026 season.
But if Mizell gets buried behind the cache of wide receivers coming up behind him (Dallas Wilson, Vernell Brown, Tank Hawkins, etc.), then his time in Gainesville might come to an end.
Eugene Wilson III
Before you reach for your keyboard and start commenting, "I knew it that this list is clickbait trash," let's look at the two pathways Wilson's season could go.
If Florida spreads the offense out in 2025 and Wilson is healthy, there is a pathway to open up enough space and make Wilson the first 1,000-yard wide receiver for the Gators in over 20 years.
But last year, 10 of his 19 catches were behind the line of scrimmage. During 2023, 36 of his 61 catches were behind the line of scrimmage.
If Wilson is kept in the same role we have seen him in during his first two seasons, and he is running 87 orbit motions a game, opponents had Wilson figured out in 2024 and would eat him alive in 2025 if he is relegated to the same role.
And we are going to assume that he wants a bigger role than being a gadget guy.
Treyaun Webb and/or KD Daniels
If you look at the depth chart in the running back room, Florida has the ability to go five or six deep on the depth chart before any real panic would set in among Gator fans.
If Jadan Baugh is going to be RB1 and Ja'Kobi Jackson winds up as RB2, that leaves Treyaun Webb, the former four-star who was going to be RB2 last year before getting hurt, and KD Daniels, the former four-star who redshirted 2024, fighting it out to be RB3.
Even though Billy Napier goes deeper than most with his running back rotation, odds are that by season's end, either Webb or Daniels is going to be watching the game from the sidelines a ton.
And with Baugh still slated to be back in 2026, and the winner of the RB3 battle also coming back, it creates a crowded room, given guys like Duke Clark and Chad Gasper are also waiting in the wings.
LJ McCray
The former five-star had a quiet year in 2024 for his freshman campaign.
Now, it is possible he takes a huge leap in 2025 and becomes a key cog along the defensive line and lives up to his five-star billing.
Quite frankly, given the state of the defensive line, Florida needs McCray to step up so it's not just Tyreak Sapp with occasional contributions from George Gumbs.
But if McCray has another quiet year in 2025, there are bound to be some difficult conversations and difficult decisions to be made.
Jordan Castell
It seems weird putting a two-year starter on this list who is bound to be a starter once again in 2025.
But the reality is that Jordan Castell never really took a step forward in 2024. He was a hesitant tackler who was prone to getting lost in coverage.
Now, he did have a pass breakup in each of the last four games of the season, and played well against FSU and Tulane. Those were also the two worst QBs Florida faced all season, so take those with a grain of salt.
The challenge for Castell is that he has company behind him in 2025. Drake Stubbs and Lagonza Hayward are going to push for playing time by the end of the season if Castell keeps the door open.
If Stubbs or Hayward breaks through, Castell could be on the way out come December.