Florida top transfer OL Kiyaunta Goodwin leaving Gators via family hardship waiver, per reports

Football

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Image Credit: Tiffany Franco / UAA

Florida Gators sophomore offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin has left the program less than two months before the start of the 2023 season, according to multiple reports. A former five-star prospect who transferred from Kentucky this offseason, he will reenter the transfer portal with a family hardship waiver amid an illness afflicting his mother.

Goodwin was one of three high-level offensive line transfers expected to claim starting jobs this season. Beyond that, the fact that he has three years of eligibility remaining made him a key winter acquisition for Florida as it sought to rebuild the front of its offense.

The Gators lost three starters from the 2022 campaign with O’Cyrus Torrence selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft before two others entered the transfer portal and initially decided to head across the country to USC.

Goodwin, who played all 12 games for the Wildcats last season and was the third-highest rated prospect UK had ever signed, was the top transfer — based on his high school ranking — inked by Florida this offseason. There are also high hopes for juniors Micah Mazzccua and Damieon George, who will almost assuredly claim starting gigs. Mazzccua joined UF from Baylor, while George stepped on campus out of Alabama.

Given that Goodwin initially chose Florida over Louisville out of the portal — as the last acquisition in the winter cycle — it would not be a surprise if he joined the Cardinals next season.