For the second consecutive offseason, Florida made use of the winter transfer portal to strengthen its roster. Twelve college football veterans were acquired to help the Gators go into the 2024 offseason.
Roles are being projected by all Gators for every transfer acquisition. Grayson “Pup” Howard, a linebacker transfer from South Carolina, is the next player to join Florida. Despite giving up a redshirt freshman season with the Gamecocks, Howard has four years of eligibility remaining. Howard, a Jacksonville, Florida native, was considered by many to be among the top 200 prospects in the class of 2023 and was a top recruit for Florida. He received a scholarship offer from the former Gators coaching staff in September 2021, and after they moved to Gainesville in December 2021, Billy Napier and his team continued the recruiting process.
However, despite a relentless push from Florida until the end of his recruitment, Howard signed with South Carolina, concluding a six-month commitment to the school after totaling over 300 tackles at Andrew Jackson High School, including 31 for loss between his junior and senior seasons. “I believe that in the beginning, Pup and I were very close, just a phone call away,” Napier said on Wednesday regarding Howard’s initial recruitment to Florida.
As a freshman, Howard played a significant part in the Gamecocks’ linebacker rotation, starting all but one game and averaging 20 defensive snaps per contest. Pro Football Focus reports that he totaled 19 tackles, one for loss, one forced fumble, and four quarterback pressures during those opportunities.
But soon after his freshman year, Howard decided he wanted to complete his undergraduate education somewhere else. On January 2, the last day of the winter transfer window, he registered on the NCAA transfer portal. On January 4, he made his commitment to Florida. After 2023 Gators starting linebacker Scooby Williams transferred out and joined Texas A&M, Howard and other players had an opportunity to compete for a first-team spot at the second level of Florida’s defense, alongside rising junior Shemar James.
The team’s depth at linebacker will also need to be replaced as a result of Teradja Mitchell leaving the squad when his collegiate eligibility ran out.
