Five for five.

In his first acts of recruiting, newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall kept Florida’s core intact for the 2026 season: running back Jadan Baugh, wide receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson, and linebacker Myles Graham all returned.

While EDGE Jayden Woods initially entered the transfer portal, Sumrall convinced the Kansas native to stay with the Gators. Sumrall and other defensive staffers met with Woods on Jan. 6, fending off the likes of Texas, Texas A&M and Ohio State for the Freshman All-SEC player.

In his introductory press conference, Sumrall began his pitch to keep Florida’s best players from the 2025 season in Gainesville. Despite the 4-8 finish, the Gators had talented pieces across the roster that were worth keeping around.

“Roster building: It starts with our current team. I just got the chance to meet with those guys. Retention in these days of the college football world is the most important thing to build a team,” Sumrall said on Dec. 1.

“We need those guys to stay, and that’s the first recruiting effort I have.”

After arriving in Gainesville, Sumrall made quick work of evaluating the roster and moving forward accordingly.

While Florida retained core components, not all stayed

The 43-year-old head coach didn’t keep everyone around, though. Sumrall and former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway parted ways after the two couldn’t agree on the path forward.

Other key names that departed Florida include receivers Eugene Wilson III, Naeshaun Montgomery, and Aidan Mizell. Defensive lineman Michai Boireau, who thought about returning to Florida, ended up at Ole Miss. Napier-era defensive backs Jordan Castell, Aaron Gates and Sharif Denson all transferred to SEC schools.

The roster flip began. With more than 30 outgoing transfers, Sumrall set out to bring in new blood through the transfer portal.

Florida supplements its core with transfer portal additions

Sumrall got right to work, aggressively attacking the transfer portal’s best prospects.

“We will use the portal to enhance our team and to supplement where there may be holes or deficiencies,” Sumrall said.

No stranger to the transfer portal, Sumrall understands what it takes to rebuild a roster with new players. Upon his arrival at Tulane, Houston head coach Willie Fritz eviscerated the Green Wave roster, leaving Sumrall with little to work with.

“If you’ve studied my rosters the last couple years, I haven’t had the resources to keep very many of my good players,” Sumrall said. “They all end up getting poached. So I’ve had to embrace the transfer portal probably more than most, maybe even more than I’d like to at times, by necessity.”

At Florida, with more resources to keep around his best players, Sumrall’s approach changed. With a roster exodus on his hands, Sumrall’s hand was forced to rebuild through the transfer portal, bringing 23 transfers (and counting) to Gainesville, in addition to the 19 high school prospects as part of Florida’s 15th-ranked class.

As the offseason roars on, Sumrall pieces together his 2026 roster

Once the transfer portal opened, Florida brought in Georgia Tech transfer quarterback Aaron Philo, who will duke it out with rising sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. for the starting job.

Before Baugh announced his return, the Gators took a commitment from Cincinnati running back Evan Pryor, who fits new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s scheme like a glove. A few days later, the Gators added East Carolina running back transfer London Montgomery.

After losing multiple receivers to the transfer portal, Florida reloaded with Georgia Tech’s Bailey Stockton and Wake Forest’s Micah Mays. Stockton, a close friend of Philo, should be a key piece to Florida’s offense, as attention will go to Wilson and Brown.

But Sumrall wasn’t done yet.

After initially announcing his plans to enter the NFL Draft, Auburn wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr., who has extensive ties to Florida’s new staff, entered the portal on Friday and committed to Florida on Saturday.

Continuity is a common theme among Florida’s portal additions

With Florida’s offense needing a refresh outside of Wilson and Brown, Faulkner and other Georgia Tech staffers brought some of their top prospects with them. In addition to Philo and Stockton, starting offensive lineman Harrison Moore and tight end Luke Harpring joined the Gators from the Yellow Jackets.

Two Penn State offensive linemen, tackle Eagan Boyer and guard TJ Shanahan Jr., came with Phil Trautwein from the Nittany Lions.

Defensive coordinator Brad White went after Kentucky safety Cam Dooley, a rising junior, to shore up the secondary.

The Gators added multiple players from Sumrall’s last stop, bringing along specialists Patrick Durkin and Alec Clark from the Green Wave.

New faces arrive in Gainesville

Some of Florida’s transfers were unfamiliar with the staff.

After losing longtime starter Hayden Hansen to Oklahoma, Florida added James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre to pair with Harpring. Florida secured rising sophomore offensive lineman Emeka Ugorji from Stanford, who projects as a long-term depth piece.

A top priority, Jacksonville State defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo committed to Florida over Texas A&M. Oyebadejo, with one year of eligibility remaining, has an incredible ceiling behind his 6-foot-7, 298-pound frame.

Baylor defensive lineman DK Kalu and defensive back DJ Coleman joined the Gators, with defensive tackle Samu Taumanupepe yet to make a decision.

The Gators added JUCO defensive back Elijah Owens and UCLA transfer safety Kanye Clark, along with UCF transfer and Florida legacy TJ Bullard, punter Miller Fealy and long snapper Carter Milliron to round out the transfer portal class.

Florida’s portal class ranks eighth on the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Between retaining top talent and attacking the transfer portal, Sumrall’s approach is refreshing

With significant investment in the roster’s best pieces, Sumrall reinforced his promise of winning early at Florida, years of planning be damned.

“I’m wired that way. I’m not comfortable having a plan to win in eight years,” Sumrall said. “I want to win tomorrow.”

With four years of head coaching experience, Florida’s 31st head coach is ready to elevate the Gators to new heights and to the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.

“I respect the Florida fan base is not patient. They want to win right now, too. You’ve got the right coach,” Sumrall said.

Florida’s retention efforts required significant NIL compensation, but between revenue share and Florida Victorious, the Gators are in great shape under Sumrall.

Early returns on Sumrall continue to be positive. Between his aggressive approach to roster building through the transfer portal and his promises of retaining Florida’s best players, Sumrall stood by his word.

“The standard here is championships. That’s why I came. I’m built for this job. I was made for this job. Winners win; I’m a winner; we’re going to win.”