Standout Florida football edge rusher Jayden Woods returning to UF

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Florida football freshman edge rusher Jayden Woods announced on social media on Thursday, January 8, that he's returning to UF after initially testing the waters in the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-3, 248-pound Woods earned freshman All-SEC honors, appearing in all 12 games for the Florida Gators in 2025. He finished the season with 28 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception.

Woods, who has three years of eligibility remaining, entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 to explore his options but chose to return after a face-to-face meeting with new Florida coach Jon Sumrall at his home in Shawnee, Kansas.

Near the end of the 2025 season, Woods expressed a desire to return to UF.

"I picked to come here to be a Gator," Woods said before UF's game against Tennessee last Nov. 22. "I didn't come here, you know, with the intention to leave. So, right now, I really just want to focus on finishing the last two games the best I can."

An early enrollee in 2025, Woods was able to see the field as a true freshman based on his combination of stength and football IQ.

"Spring ball, that gave me a good taste, you know, going against our offense," Woods said. "They're a really good offense, so they kind of got me used to it and in fall camp, I got a little more comfortable and then the season got rolling."

The return of Woods helps bolster a Florida defense that is bringing back linebacker Myles Graham, linebacker Jaden Robinson, linebacker Aaron Chiles, edge rusher LJ McCray, safety Bryce Thornton, cornerback Dijon Johnson and cornerback Cormani McClain. Sumrall is seeking to improve a UF defense that ranked 13th out of 16 teams in the SEC, surrendering 376.8 yards per game.

Florida lost starting defensive back Sharif Denson (Ole Miss), starting defensive tackle Michai Boireau (Ole Miss) and starting safety Jordan Castell (Kentucky) to the transfer portal, but has added some other defensive pieces, including Kentucky safety Cam Dooley and Jacksonville State edge rusher Emmanuel Oyebadejo.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football gets edge rusher Jayden Woods to return in 2026

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