UF football transfer tracker: Jon Sumrall rebuilds 2026 Gators’ roster
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GAINESVILLE — New UF coach Jon Sumrall arrived from Tulane to resurrect a program coming off a 4-8 season, the Gators’ fourth losing season in five years — including the past four under Billy Napier.
After signing a 2026 recruiting class ranked 16th nationally while he still coached the Green Wave, Sumrall and his evolving staff turned their attention preparing for the 15-day transfer portal window Jan. 2-16.
Sumrall and Co. aim to retain top talent from the 2025 Gators and add players from other schools seeking a new opportunity. Meanwhile, players themselves are making moves.
QB DJ Lagway
Vitals: 6-3, 247 pounds
Resumé: Lagway was a 5-star prospect out of Willis (Texas) High School who was named 2023 Gatorade National Player of the Year after he accounted for 73 touchdowns and led his team to an unbeaten season until losing in the third round of the 6A state playoffs to top-ranked defending champion DeSoto.
Role: Lagway was 6-1 as a starter as a true freshman in 2024 after he replaced injured veteran Graham Mertz during an overtime loss Oct. 11, 2024 at Tennessee. But Lagway struggled after an injury-riddled offseason prevented him from throwing during spring practices and limited him much of fall camp. He threw 16 touchdowns and an SEC-leading 14 interceptions. A season after his passer rating was second in the SEC to Ole Miss’ Jaxon Dart, Lagway had a 127.0 rating — lower than all but one quarterback in the conference. Expected to be a dual-threat, Lagway rushed for just 237 yards and a score in two seasons.
Outlook: Lagway’s departure leaves UF with three scholarship quarterbacks, Trammel Jones Jr., Aidan Warner and Will Griffin. Jones, a former 4-star prospect from Jacksonville Mandarin, appeared in two games, including the Kentucky loss after interim coach Billy Gonzales benched Lagway. Warner is a former walk-on and Yale transfer from Winter Park who stepped in for Lagway when he injured his hamstring during a 2024 loss to Georgia. Warner started a week later at Texas, a 49-17 beatdown by the Longhorns, but that was his last appearance at UF. Griffin is a 4-star recruit out of Tampa Jesuit tabbed the nation’s No. 14 quarterback in the 2026 by 247Sports composite rankings. A starter since he was an eighth-grader, Griffin compiled 12,299 passing yards and 143 touchdowns throws, including 37 on just 246 attempts in 2025, during a record-setting career.
S Jordan Castell
Vitals: 6-3, 213 pounds
Resumé: Castell was an Under-Armour All-American ranked No. 7 in Sentinel’s 2023 Central Florida Super60
out of West Orange High in Winter Garden. Playing cornerback, Castell recorded 39 tackles, five interceptions and 10 passes defensed in 2023.
Role: Aiming to shore up the back end of the defense, coaches moved Castell to free safety to capitalize on his length, range and ball skills. He managed to record a team-high 60 tackles along with an interception in 2023. As a three-year starter, Castell recorded 168 tackles, including 54 in 2025, and 12 pass breakups, but none this past season. He also three interceptions and a sack during his UF career, but rarely displayed the requisite physicality and instincts of a top SEC safety.
Outlook: Bryce Thornton, Castell’s sidekick on the defense’s back end, is a rising senior coming off his best season. Thornton tallied 56 tackles, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown during the Gators’ 55-0 season-opening win Aug. 30 against Long Island University. True freshman Drake Stubbs, a 4-star prospect out of Jacksonville Mandarin, was the nation’s No. 57 overall prospect, per 247Sports composite rankings, and former Miami commitment. He managed just three tackles in eight appearances.
RB KD Daniels
Vitals: 5-11 ½, 203 pounds
Resumé: Daniels was a 4-star prospect rated the nation’s No. 14 running back in the 2024 class by 247Sports composition rankings. Named Mississippi’s Class 5A Mr. Football, Daniels he rushed for 2,737 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2023, highlighted by a 253-yard performance in the state title game.
Role: Daniels began his career down the depth chart, behind senior Montrell Johnson Jr., true freshman Jadan Baugh and redshirt junior Ja’Kobi Jackson. The sole highlight of Daniels’ first college season was his heady 27-yard touchdown after he scooped a fumble by Lagway during the UFs 33-8 win in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl against Tulane. When Jackson suffered a season-ending injury in 2025, Daniels battled true freshman Duke Clark for touches. Daniels leaves UF with just 185 yards and two scores on 39 carries.
Outlook: Baugh’s 266-yard day during UF’s 40-21 season-ending win against FSU cemented the sophomore’s place the Gators’ key offensive weapon entering 2026. The 6-foot ½, 210-pound Clark had 58 yards on 14 carries, along with two catches for 14 yards in four appearances. Redshirt sophomore Treyaun Webb, a former top recruit, did not play in 2025 after missing all but four games in 2024 following an injury. Byron Louis is a former Plantation American Heritage standout and a 4-star prospect in 2025 who rushed 2,943 yards and 34 scores in 2024-25. Fellow true freshman Chad Gasper Jr., was a 3-star recruit from Katy, Texas who did not see game action.
TE Amir Jackson
Vitals: 6-4 ¾, 235 pounds
Resumé: Jackson was was a 4-star prospect from Portal High in Georgia, who rated the No. 9 tight end prospect and 139th overall recruit, per 247Sports. As a senior in 2023, he recorded 44 catches for 727 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also making 57 tackles, six for loss. During his basketball career, Jackson averaged 13.6 points and 10.9 rebounds in 88 games.
Role: Jackson was among the more versatile athletes and intriguing playmakers in the 2024 class, but needed to build strength and become more physical. Despite noticeable games in the weight room, Jackson did not factor as a redshirt freshman in 2025. He managed just three catches for 29 yards and a score.
Outlook: Sumrall and his staff aim to improve the production and explosiveness at a position where top players cause mismatches. Hayden Hansen has started 34 straight games and did not often leave the field under Napier, who relied heavily on two-tight end sets. The 6-6 ¼, 269-pound Hansen tallied 30 receptions for 254 receiving yards and two scores as a redshirt junior. Tony Livingston had 11 catches for 119 yards and scores in 10 games. The 6-foot-4 ¾, 260-pound junior has yet to fully capitalized on his athletic ability. A former high school basketball standout, Livington averaged 24.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 2021-22 at Tampa King. True freshman tight ends Micah Jones, out of Madison, Miss., and Cameron Kossman, who hails from Chesterfield, Missouri, were 3-star prospects in the 2025 class. UF have yet to sign a tight end for the 2026 class. Kekua Aumua of Hawaii changed his commitment to Washington during the early signing period.
WR Muizz Tounkara
Vitals: 6-3, 208 pounds
Resumé: Tounkara was a 3-star prospect out of Clear Springs High in League City, Texas rated the No. 73 wide receiver in the 2025 class and the No. 75 player in the state of Texas by 247Sports. He caught 30 passes for 455 yards and five scores during his senior season.
Role: During eight appearances at UF in 2025, Tounkara recorded two receptions for 12 yards on 49 offensive snaps.
Outlook: Tounkara would have faced a logjam at receiver and was likely have limited opportunities going forward because of Vernell Brown III’s emergence and fellow true freshman Dallas Wilson’s production in limited action due to injury. After sophomore Tank Hawkins opted out, redshirt freshman TJ Abrams stepped in and proved to be a crisp route-runner who produced — highlighted by three catches for 76 yards at Ole Miss. Hawkins, another candidate to transfer, was among the Gators’ fastest players, but also lost ground to redshirt sophomore speedster Aidan Mizell, former Orlando Boone standout poised to break out if he can avoid nagging injuries. First-year receiver Naeshaen Montgomery, who is expected to remain, has more top-end speed than Tounkara.
Tarvorise Brown
Vitals: 6-6 ¾, 296 pounds
Resumé: Brown was an unranked prospect out of Heritage High in Palm Bay who went to Hutchinson C.C. in Kansas, where he became the nation’s No. 4 defensive tackle and No. 43 overall prospect in the 2024 transfer portal.
Role: Brown arrived during fall camp in 2024 and struggled to play catch up. He logged 26 snaps in three appearances. Brown, though, did not factor much again this past season. He recorded four tackles in three appearances.
Outlook: Baylor transfer Brendan Bett’s production (40 tackles, three sacks) and the emergence of young tackles made Brown expendable. Sophomore nose tackle Michai Boireau registered 20 tackles, including two sacks, in nine games and made the game-winning interception during a 23-21 victory Oct. 18 against Mississippi State. True freshman Jeremiah McCloud (13 tackles) and Joseph Mbatchou (11) each steadily improved.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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