Coach Dan Mullen flexed his NCAA transfer portal muscles once again Friday night.
Former Texas A&M defensive back Elijah Blades announced Friday he will attend Florida for his final year of eligibility through his Instagram account. He entered the transfer portal earlier this summer and took an official visit to the Swamp in June.
This isn’t the first time Blades has given his pledge to play for Florida. He committed to the Gators and former coach Jim McElwain during the 2017 cycle before backing off his pledge close to National Signing Day and signing with Nebraska. However, he failed to make it on campus for the Cornhuskers and played in Junior College for two years. After his stint at Arizona Western Community College, he went to College Station, Texas, and signed with the Aggies.
He started six games for Texas A&M in 2019. Blades recorded 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three pass breakups. He opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared for the NFL draft. He then decided to return to campus and entered the transfer portal.
Blades is expected to graduate from Texas A&M later this month and then join Florida for fall camp.
Mullen has made excellent use of the transfer portal in the past. The Gator coach has signed cornerback Jadarrius Perkins, running back Dermarkcus Bowman, defensive tackle Antonio Shelton, defensive tackle DaQuan Newkirk, running back Lorenzo Lingard, offensive lineman Stewart Reese, wide receiver Justin Shorter and edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr.
Contact Zachary Huber at zhuber@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @zacharyahuber.
