Every year the Gators bring in a recruiting class filled with talented prospects, often with many at the same position.
The players who aren’t seeing playing time early on usually end up transferring away from Florida to somewhere they can show their talent.
The Gators have not had any leave the program this offseason quite yet, but some are likely to come. This is usually about the time that those decisions are made.
Just by taking a guess at what the depth chart will look like next year, there are some players that probably should transfer:
Freshman Offensive Lineman Kyle Koehne: He came in with four other highly touted offensive linemen, most of whom have already received praise from Urban Meyer. With only one lineman leaving, he is still going to be stuck behind all of them. With the big jam logs at the guard and tackle positions, he should play center. The only problem there is Mike Pouncey is going to take over for his brother, Maurkice, at center, and redshirt freshman Sam Robey seems to be the center-in-waiting. That leaves Koehne as a career backup.
Possible new school: Being from Indiana, he should consider a return trip back home and join the Hoosiers.
Redshirt Freshman Linebacker Brendan Beal: He came in as a one of the top recruits but has not been able to make an impact on the field due to injuries. Last year as he stood on the sidelines watching while freshman Jon Bostic was impressing the coaches. With the Gators using more 3-4 defense next year, they will need a second middle linebacker, but Beal will still be behind Bostic on the depth chart and probably shouldn’t hang around much longer.
Possible new school: He’s another that might want to return to his home state, Pennsylvania, and attend Linebacker U.
Freshman Defensive End Kedric Johnson: Although the Gators are losing their two starting ends, they still have plenty on the roster and have the nation’s best defensive end recruit committed to play next year. It does not appear he will get much of a chance to make a name for himself at UF, and just like the others, Johnson should bolt early before he has used up too much of his eligibility.
Possible new school: I don’t have a good choice for him, but Johnson should re-open his recruitment and look for a school that will give him a better chance to play.
Redshirt Freshman Cornerbacks Jeremy Brown and Adrian Bushell: Only one of them needs to leave, but this decision should wait until after spring practice. Janoris Jenkins has one of the starting jobs wrapped up, but it will be an open competition at the other spot. Whoever comes out of spring behind should bolt. Florida is expected to bring in a bunch of defensive backs in this recruiting class, which will only make things harder on them to find a role on the team.
Possible new school: Bushell is from Texas, so a switch to a Big 12 school would make sense. Brown falls into the re-open recruitment category and could go anywhere he wants.
