Florida football recruiting: WR J. Michael Sturdivant joins Gators from UCLA in transfer portal

Football

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Image Credit: Mallory Peak, UAA

It took longer than expected, but the Florida Gators added their first every-down player out of the 2024 transfer portal late Friday as former four-star wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (Flower Mound, TX) committed to the program. The redshirt junior caught 22 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns last season for the UCLA Bruins.

Sturdivant (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) is coming off the least-productive season of his college career. He committed to California out of high school grabbing career- and team-highs of 65 balls for 755 yards and seven TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2022 before transferring to UCLA where he reeled in 36 catches for 597 yards and four scores in 2023.

With Florida set to lose seniors Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike to graduation, Sturdivant will step in as a veteran pass catcher for forthcoming sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway next season. The Gators have also added four-star 2025 WR Vernell Brown III (Orlando, FL) with five-star 2025 WR Dallas Wilson (Tampa, FL) expected to formally sign with the program any day now.

Though Sturdivant was a four-star prospect rated No. 145 overall in the 247Sports Composite out of high school — and a Freshman All-America selection the following year — he has been downgraded to a three-star prospect and the No. 101 overall player in the transfer portal, per 247Sports.

Punter Tommy Doman (Orchard Lake, MI), ranked No. 2 at his position in the portal, is the only other player to join Florida thus far out as a transfer. Doman started the last two seasons at Michigan, including during the Wolverines’ national championship campaign. He will compete with star freshman Hayden Craig for the Gators’ starting job.