Gators Coach Angrily Announce His Exist Due To…….
The Florida Gators needed to add depth to the linebacker room this offseason and in December added Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles from the high school ranks and on Monday they added another player. South Carolina linebacker transfer Grayson Howard committed to the Florida Gators on Thursday just days after entering the transfer portal. Howard who was a big target for the Gators during the 2023 recruiting cycle played in 11 games as a freshman at South Carolina and accounted for 19 tackles.
The Jacksonville native picked South Carolina over Florida last year but now returns to his home state and will compete for playing time next year. Howard will go through spring ball with the Gators and join Graham who also will be on campus in the next few days. With the addition of Howard, the Gators now have landed five transfers as Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, Chimere Dike, Joey Slackman and Trikweze Bridges all signed with Florida in December and plan to go through spring ball with the team as well.
The Gators’ defense continued to collect reinforcements on Thursday as coveted South Carolina linebacker transfer Grayson ‘Pup’ Howard announced his pledge to Florida.
Howard holds three years of collegiate eligibility remaining after appearing in the Gamecocks’ final 11 games as a true freshman in 2023. He accounted for 18 tackles during his lone campaign in Columbia (S.C.). A former four-star recruit from Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Fla., Howard was considered one of the Gators’ top off-ball linebacker prospects during the 2023 cycle. Pursued heavily by area recruiter — and Florida outside linebackers coach — Mike Peterson, the 6-foot-4, 241-pound second-level defender expressed interest in continuing his career in Gainesville during the early stages of his recruitment. However, he bought into the vision Shane Beamer was selling at South Carolina amid an eight-win campaign in 2022. He committed to the Gamecocks on June 27, 2022, before finalizing his alignment
Upon arrival, Howard garnered considerable praise from Beamer as a cornerstone asset for the program’s future and was deemed a Preseason SEC Freshman All-American. He produced fruitful in-season returns, failing to miss a single tackle per Pro Football Focus on the year in 221 total snaps. The Gators, aiming to stack ready-now talent at linebacker, quickly rekindled their relationship with the physically imposing, sure-tackling linebacker upon his entry on Tuesday. __ days later, UF persuaded him to don orange and blue in the next step of his collegiate career.
Howard’s proficiency in diagnosing rushing lanes and rapidly filling the gaps makes him a valuable addition to Florida’s second level. He joins incumbent starter Shemar James as well as reserves Derek Wingo, Deuce Spurlock and Jaden Robinson in the position room in 2024. High-upside freshmen Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles are also anticipated to compete for roles in the unit’s rotation upon their arrival in Gainesville.