Yale transfer forward EJ Jarvis felt a genuine trust when he visited the Florida Gators men’s basketball facility for a two-day official visit March 28.
Florida head coach Todd Golden and his staff immediately made an impression on the All-Ivy League second-team senior with their genuineness and honesty, Jarvis said. After briefly meeting current players and having discussions about the program, it was a done deal.
“I thought it made sense, and if something makes sense then why wouldn’t you do it?,” Jarvis said. “It was the easiest decision to shut my recruitment down because Florida had everything that I wanted.”
The life-altering decision to transfer from Yale came on March 17 — three days after the Bulldogs finished their season. His team ended its season with a 71-62 round-one loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the National Invitational Tournament March 14.
Jarvis had an extra year of eligibility left in his collegiate career since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Yale’s 2020-2021 season. However, he couldn’t use it with the Bulldogs due to the Ivy League’s long-standing policy that only permits undergraduates to compete on athletic teams.
Jarvis will graduate from Yale with a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies in Spring 2023. However, he will transfer since the Ivy League broke its tradition and allowed athletes to use their additional year due to the pandemic at another university.
The Gators were always in contact with Jarvis from the moment he entered the portal, he said.
“Coach Golden, coach [Kevin] Hovde, everybody [at UF] were the first people to contact me through the entire process,” Jarvis said.
The conversations didn’t stop after he announced his entry into the transfer portal. Florida scheduled in-home and official visits with him and was in contact with him when he announced his top eight schools.
Through it all, the Gators’ staff always kept a good relationship with him, Jarvis said.
“Just the genuineness and the honesty of the coaching staff was a big part of that [decision].”
Golden officially announced the Gators added Jarvis to Florida’s 2023-2024 roster Monday. He was thrilled to add a player he believes exhibits all the winning qualities to help build UF’s program, Golden said.
“He has proven the capacity to impact winning on both sides of the basketball,” Golden said. “EJ will be a great leader for this program as we head into next season.”
Jarvis became a three-time Ivy League champion and recorded 507 points, 283 rebounds and 64 blocks with the Bulldogs. His most notable numbers, however, came in his senior year.
The Washington D.C. native averaged 11.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot at a 55% clip from the floor — all career-best numbers for Jarvis. He improved his shot-blocking abilities and swatted 44 shots last season.
Jarvis’ arrival also opens the floor on offense with his newfound ability to shoot triples. He finished his senior season with a 40.6% clip from behind the arc. Prior to last season, the 6-foot-8-inch forward missed all eight attempts he took from 3-point range.
“The 3-point shot is something I really worked a lot on,” Jarvis said. “Kinda going hand-in-hand with doing better at the free throw line.”
Besides bringing his improved skill set on both sides of the game to the Gators, Jarvis also hopes to be a leader for UF next season, he said.
“I really wanna bring energy, effort and intensity to Florida,” Jarvis said. “I really wanna be a really great defensive presence. I thought I was pretty good blocking shots this year, and I definitely want to transfer that over to next year.”
Jarvis didn’t speak much with the Gators’ current players during his official visit. However, he got a good impression from them and hopes to get on a personal level with them when he gets on campus.
“I’m gonna learn everything that I can from the guys who were there last year and get with the program and help bring whatever I can from what I learned at Yale to Florida to move as one, move as a team,” Jarvis said.
The graduate student forward wants to build a good relationship with the players of the program and with everyone surrounding it. These relationships include coaching staff, trainers and even members of the media, Jarvis said.
He will now work toward a Master’s of business administration degree at the Warrington College of Business at UF. However, one thing is certain: Jarvis is excited to be a part of Florida’s program.
“I’m just happy to be a Gator,” he said.
Contact Brandon Hernandez at bhernandez@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @BranH2001.
Brandon Hernandez is currently the enterprise sports writer and sports podcast host for The Independent Alligator. He likes long walks on the sidewalk and watching basketball tape in his off time. You can find most of his work @BranH2001 on X and on The Courtside Podcast on Spotify.
