Florida football recruiting: LB Grayson Howard, DE George Gumbs pick Gators out of transfer portal

Football

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Image Credit: UAA

The Florida Gators continued beefing up their roster ahead of the 2024 season with arguably their biggest acquisition yet out of the transfer portal. South Carolina linebacker Grayson Howard, once a targeted recruit for Florida, committed to join the Gators after just one season with the Gamecocks.

Howard (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) was a four-star prospect rated No. 115 overall by 247Sports in the Class of 2024. Now, he joins a Florida program that has bolstered its linebacking corps significantly this offseason, mainly through high school recruiting with the additions of four-stars Myles Graham (Gainesville, FL) and Aaron Chiles (Olney, MD).

Playing 11 games for South Carolina this season, Howard compiled 19 tackles, including 10 solo and one for lost yardage, along with a forced fumble. He may wind up starting for the Gators next year, though the competition will be significant.

Howard’s commitment to join Florida comes at a perfect time as LB Scooby Williams recently decided to enter the transfer portal. Though Williams played a lot of snaps, his production was uninspiring last season. Howard, who committed to the Gators despite the program not yet having hired a new linebackers coach, will also have more eligibility remaining comparatively.

Later in the day, three-star defensive end transfer George Gumbs committed to join Florida. Gumbs, who previously played for Northern Illinois, had previously announced his transfer to Cincinnati only to reverse course to UF instead. The EDGE defender had 32 tackles (6.5 for loss) along with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last season. His production was particularly notable given he joined NIU as an offensive player who lined up at tight end across his first two seasons as a collegian.

The acquisition of Gumbs is particularly notable given Florida did not add any players at his position in the Class of 2024. (The two who were set to join the Gators decommitted before National Signing Day.)

Howard, who has yet to be rerated as a transfer by 247Sports, and Gumbs join four-star Penn defensive lineman Joey Slackman (No. 25 overall out of Penn), three-star wide receiver Chimere Dyke (Wisconsin) three-star cornerback Trikweze Bridges (Oregon) and three-star offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (San Diego State) as the fifth and sixth members of the Florida’s 36th-ranked transfer class.