TRANSFER PORTAL: Florida Lands Arkansas OL Devon Manuel

Billy Napier and his staff have made it clear that they will attack the transfer portal hard to fill gaps and improve the overall roster ahead of the 2024 season. They cashed in on another portal target, landing former Arkansas offensive lineman Devon Manuel.

Manuel emerged as a major target for Napier and company as they looked to reinforce the offensive line. He made his way to Gainesville on Wednesday, concluding the trip on Friday morning ended up chosing the Gators before the day's end.

The former Arkansas offensive lineman is the third transfer portal addition in the past two days for Florida.

The 6-foot-9, 310-pounder does not have a great deal of experience but adds a tremendous amount of size and depth on the outside of the line. Manuel was projected to be the starting left tackle for the Razorbacks last season, which was his redshirt sophomore season, but an injury during camp derailed those plans.

2023 was supposed to be the breakout year for Manuel, but his injury forced him to be sidelined for part of the year. However, he did end up seeing action in nine games, including starts in the team's final three contests.

When Manuel arrived on campus in Arkansas as a true freshman, he was nearing the 400-pound mark, but was able to work his weight down significantly during his redshirt season. Now down to near 300-pounds, Manuel is much more nimble and athletic than he was at the start of his career.

Looking at the offensive line, Manuel joins a deep list of tackles, including starting left tackle Austin Barber, starting right tackle Damieon George, and Kamryn Waites (started two games at right tackle in 2023). The Gators signed two offensive lineman with the 2023 class, both of which were listed as tackles, but may move to the interior of the line. They also welcome Fletcher Westphal, Mike Williams and Marcus Mascoll from the 2024 class, with all three listed as offensive tackles.

With the addition of Manuel, Florida's transfer class is now up to seven players. He joins former Penn defensive lineman Joey Slackman, former South Carolina linebacker Grayson Howard, former Oregon defensive back Trikweze Bridges, former Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike, former San Diego State offensive tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, and former Northern Illinois edge rusher George Gumbs.