With the transfer portal being among the most important parts of college football these days, it's crucial for coaching staffs to waste no time when it comes to offering players who have entered the portal. Leading into spring practice ahead of this past season, Florida brought in a total of 10 transfers to join their squad as they prepared for the gauntlet ahead. With a dozen Gators already entered into the portal, expect a similar number, if not a higher number, to be the target for Billy Napier and his staff. Here is a breakdown of prospects who have entered the portal that the Gators have given offers to: Oregon S Trikweze Bridges The former Oregon defensive back was a starter back in 2022 but saw his role diminish in 2023. Although he played five seasons with the Ducks, Bridges has one year of eligibility left and could be a candidate to fill the STAR role on Florida's defense. After announcing intentions to enter the portal on Dec. 5, Bridges has confirmed that the Gators have already offered him a scholarship. Ohio State S Cameron Martinez Graduate transfer Cameron Martinez is another defensive back the Gators have shown interest in early. The former four-star also saw his role diminished after productive seasons in 2021 and 2022 as a high-usage reserve in the secondary. Martinez only played 28 snaps in 2023, but nonetheless Florida has offered him a scholarship on Dec. 5. Penn DT Joey Slackman Among the most coveted portal players this cycle, Slackman has been offered a variety of Power 5 scholarships, including one from the Gators. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman had 50 tackles on the season, including 12 for a loss and 4.0 sacks. Slackman has an official visit to Gainesville scheduled for December 8. Kansas State CB Will Lee With two years of eligibility left, Will Lee has been another target for the Gators' secondary. The former four-star made 32 solo tackles while also picking up six pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 2023. In pass defense, Lee did not allow a single touchdown this past season. The Gators have reached out to a variety of other players who have entered the portal since the window opened earlier this week. GatorBait Media will continue to provide updates as offers are confirmed. Also, take note of the theme here, with a lot of attention to the defensive side of the ball. The Gators will return a lot more offensive talent and the current status of the class of 2024 also favors that side of the ball. Florida will have to rely on the transfer portal and landing/keeping a few other recruits in order to fill out the defense.

On Wednesday afternoon, Princely Umanmielen, an outside linebacker and leader for Florida, announced his decision to remain in college for another year before declaring for the NFL Draft, though not with Florida. The rising senior, recently named to the Associated Press All-SEC second team, revealed his plan to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

For the final 15 minutes Tuesday night at the O-Dome, Todd Golden got a much better glimpse of the team he hopes the Florida Gators will become in the future. The first 25? For the most part, rather forgetful. After an unimpressive first half in which Florida (5-3) trailed Merrimack 31-30 and an opening five minutes of the second half that looked like more of the same, the Gators awakened from their slumber. Tied at 37-37 with 15 minutes to go, the Gators doubled up Merrimack the rest of the way for a 77-57 win before an announced crowd of 6,813 fans who spent a good portion of the game wondering if they were watching the same team that went toe-to-toe with national powers Virginia and Baylor in recent weeks. In those final 15 minutes, the Gators made shots, moved the basketball, dominated the backboards and played tough, in-your-face defense. Instead of what appeared to be a half-hearted effort for 25 minutes, the Gators looked every bit like a team capable of winning a lot of games. “We did a better job taking care of the ball, imposing our will on them and just kind of reminding our team that hey, we have the capacity to be good, but we ain't there yet,” Golden said postgame. “We got a lot of growth to do. The last 15 minutes of the game is more a representation of what I want our team to be obviously as opposed to the first 25 minutes." With 9:18 left in the first half, the Gators found themselves trailing the Warriors by 10, 21-11. It wasn’t until 56 seconds remained in the half that the Gators took their first lead at 30-29 on a pair of free throws by freshman Alex Condon, whose 9-point, 4-rebound effort allowed UF to keep it close. Five minutes into the second half, the Gators were playing at that same lethargic style that got them into trouble in the first 20 minutes, but things changed after the under-16 media timeout, particularly on the defensive end. It’s not that Merrimack was playing at a high offensive level. The Warriors shot only 37 percent from the field in the first half and were only 2-9 to start the second, but the intensity obviously picked up, particularly on the perimeter. Merrimack hit 3-24 from the 3-point line, 3-12 in the first half and 0-12 in the second. Merrimack’s Devon Savage hit a 3-ball with 12:41 left in the first half. The Warriors missed their next 18 3-point attempts. With the defense getting after it, Florida’s offense kicked in a different gear. Starting with a 3-pointer by Walter Clayton Jr. with 14:57 to go in the game that gave the Gators the lead for good at 40-37 the Gators overpowered the Warriors at both ends of the floor. Clayton scored only five points in the first half, but the junior transfer from Iona scored 21 second half points, hitting 8-11 from the field overall and 3-4 from the 3-point line. Once Clayton heated up, the game picked up for everyone else. Zyon Pullin scored all 10 of his points in the second half. Tyrese Samuel, held to four in the first half, finished with 11 and Condon added three points and 12 rebounds in the second half to finish with his first career double-double, 12 points and 16 rebounds. "I thought we just dictated the tempo of the game a little better,” Golden said. “In the first half, they were controlling it. It was a little slow-paced, back and forth. They were able to run good stuff against us in the halfcourt because they were really organized, but once we started to get stops it allowed us to get out and transition get some easier baskets. “Once we started to build a little bit of a lead I thought that made them tighten up a little bit and then they missed a couple shots and we got however many stops in a row that allowed us to get that thing over 10. Once that happened, I thought we kind of settled in and played pretty well from that point forward." Merrimack was an undersized team without a single scholarship player who could dent the Florida roster, but the Warriors gave the Gators all they could handle for more than half the game. After the first media time out of the second half, Florida was clearly dominant in every phase. It was a very animated Golden during that time out. Obviously, it got the attention of his team. “We try to be super, super consistent with our effort and our intent regardless of our opponent,” Golden said. “I didn't think we were good enough that way for the first 25 minutes of the game or whatever it was. So we talked about that and making sure of that regardless of the opponent. I think Merrimack's a pretty good team, in terms of what they do and they have an identity, they're well coached, they have a plan and we obviously didn't execute very well at all in the first half and they outplayed us. I thought second half rolled around I thought we did a better job playing with more emotion, playing with more effort, getting on the glass, controlling what we could control.” Next up for the Gators is a matchup with Richmond (5-3) of the Atlantic 10 Conference in the annual Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise. Game notes: Condon (12 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block) and fellow freshman Thomas Hauck (7 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) were outstanding, particularly on the backboards, where the Gators had a commanding 57-33 margin. Led by Condon with nine, the Gators hauled in an impressive 24 offensive rebounds … The Gators scored 18 points off Merrimack turnovers, outscored the Warriors 25-8 on second chance points and 23-6 off the bench. SEC basketball Tuesday’s scores: FLORIDA (5-3) 77, Merrimack (4-6) 57; No. 17 Tennessee (5-3) 87, George Mason (7-2) 66; Georgia (6-3) 76, Georgia Tech (4-3) 62; Ole Miss (8-0) 77, Mount St. Mary’s (2-6) 68 Wednesday’s games: South Carolina (7-0) at No. 24 Clemson (7-0); San Francisco (5-3) at Vanderbilt (4-4); DePaul (1-6) at No. 21 Texas A&M (6-2)

The Associated Press released the end of season SEC awards and teams on Monday. Two members of the Florida football program were named to the All-SEC Second Team, EDGE Princely Umanmielen and punter Jeremy Crawshaw.

Following the firing of defensive backs coach Corey Raymond after the conclusion of the 2023 season, sources have confirmed that Los Angeles Chargers assistant secondary coach Will Harris has emerged as a "person of interest" for the Florida football program's defensive backs coach vacancy. 247Sports was the first to report the interest in Harris.

Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who led the team in receiving yards the past two seasons, officially declared for the NFL Draft, he announced on Tuesday.

The Florida Gators hosted their annual football banquet on Sunday evening and presented a variety of team awards to players recognized for their efforts and accomplishments over the course of the season.

With the transfer portal window opening on Monday, another Gator, offensive lineman Jalen Farmer, added his name into the portal.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning:

When evaluating the difference between a 7-0 start and Florida’s 4-3 record heading into tonight’s non-conference game with Merrimack (4-5) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (7 p.m., SEC Network+), the easy thing is to point to critical turnovers or missed shots in the final five minutes. There is a real possibility that the Gators could be unbeaten, however, if Todd Golden had a full roster to work with all seven games. Zyon Pullin (13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists) wasn’t available for the 73-70 loss to Virginia. Micah Handlogten (8.0 points, 6.8 rebounds), the 7-1 transfer from Marshall, missed all but 39 seconds of the 95-91 loss to Baylor and all of the 82-71 loss to Wake Forest that was a close call until the final five minutes. Aleks Szymczyk (6-10, 250, SO) broke his foot during the summer and could be ready to go again in the next week or two. With a full roster at his disposal, Golden has the kind of depth that is needed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season when Mike White was the head coach. The lack of depth up front has been telling in the losses to Baylor and Wake Forest. Tyrese Samuel (14.1 points, 8.3 rebounds) has been outstanding but 6-9 freshmen Thomas Haugh (4.0 points, 4.9 rebounds) and 6-11 freshman Alex Condon (8.4 points, 4.7 rebounds) have worn down a bit under the grind late in games. Getting Handlogten back will give Golden that experienced rim protector that has been missing and will allow a 4-man rotation that keeps the bigs fresher in late game situations. Of course, when Szymczyk is back, the Gators will have serious inside depth like they haven’t had in years. For now, the focus is on Handlogten, who sprained his ankle against Baylor. “Getting close,” Golden said Monday afternoon prior to practice. “I think an outside chance for tomorrow (Tuesday) night. We’ll see how practice goes today, but I feel good about this weekend for sure. Obviously, we want him back for tomorrow night, so we want to see him in practice.” Both Haugh, who is scheduled to start against Merrimack, and Condon are much farther along as true freshmen than Golden could have anticipated, but they are freshmen. That means taking the good with some typical freshman moments. Haugh has a team-high 23 personal fouls while averaging 19 minutes per game. Condon has 19 fouls in 16.4 minutes per game. Golden will get a lot more mileage out of their 10 combined fouls when Handlogten is back in the lineup. Although they’ve been a bit foul prone, Golden likes what he’s seen so far. “The biggest thing is just that Condo and Tommy are getting a lot of reps,” Golden said. I think that we knew they were going to play a lot for us as we got into the season, but I think for them to be the best they can be this year, at least early on in the year, it’s going to be more of a coming off the bench, supplemental 15-20-25 minutes depending on the type of game. Not necessarily starting these guys and throwing them to the wolves against Baylor and against Wake Forest and seeing what happens, but both these guys are studs, man. Both those freshmen are studs. They’re further along than we anticipated. You want to have a little more maturity, a little more older guys in those games, but if we’re going to have young guys out there, those are the two we want.” Despite not having a full roster to work with all season and having to play a short rotation in the front court in these last two losses, the Gators have played well enough that ESPN analyst and former Division I head coach Fran Fraschilla (Manhattan, St. John’s, New Mexico) calls them a “top 25 team” and one that will definitely make the NCAA Tournament field. With Handlogten and Szymcyk back, the Gators will have a 5-man rotation up front to go with a six-man rotation in the back court. A full complement of players should help the Gators late in games when fatigue sets in against teams with a short bench. “I think this team is really good,” Golden said. “We got to get healthy. I think getting back everybody on the floor together is really important. When we’ve been healthy, whether it’s our scrimmages (won against Miami and Florida International) or against Florida State, we played really, really well. And then without one key guy, whether it be ZP or Micah, we found a way to compete and do pretty well, but we just haven’t been able to push through and finish the way we want to and win all these games. So, just continuing to grow and, like I said, get buys back on the floor and hopefully get a more stable rotation, I think that’s something that will help us out as well.” Statistically speaking: The Gators are averaging 84.1 points per game and outrebounding opponents by 7.1. The Gators average 16.3 assists and 13.4 turnovers per game. The Gators are shooting 47 percent overall from the floor, but only 32.9 percent from the 3-point line. Walter Clayton Jr. leads the Gators in scoring at 15.6 per game to go with 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals. Riley Kugel is averaging 15.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 37.1 percent from the 3-point line. Tyrese Samuel is hitting 65 percent of his shots from the field. Starting lineups FLORIDA (4-3): Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 239, GR); Thomas Haugh (6-9, 210, FR); Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, SO); Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, JR); Zyon Pullin (6-4, 206, GR) Merrimack (4-5): Samba Diallo (6-7, 195, SR); Bryan Etumnu (6-7, 215, SO); Jordan Derkack (6-5, 205, SO); Devon Savage (6-4, 190, JR); Adam Clark (5-10, 155, FR) AP top 25: 1. Arizona (7-0); 2. Kansas (7-1); 3. Houston (8-0); 4. Purdue (7-1); 5. UConn (7-1); 6. Baylor (8-0); 7. Gonzaga (6-1); 8. Marquette (6-2); 9. North Carolina (7-1); 10. Creighton (7-1); 11. Florida Atlantic (7-1); 12. Texas (6-1); 13. Colorado State (8-0); 14. BYU (7-0); 15. Miami (6-1); 16. Kentucky (6-2); 17. Tennessee (4-3); 18. James Madison (8-0); 19. Oklahoma (7-0); 20. Illinois (6-1); 22. Duke (5-3); 23. Wisconsin (6-2); 24. Clemson (7-0); 25. San Diego State (7-1) Coaches top 25: 1. Arizona (7-0); 2. Houston (8-0); 3. Kansas (7-1); 4. Purdue (7-1); 5. UConn (7-1); 6. Baylor (8-0); 7. Marquette (6-2); 8. Gonzaga (6-1); 9. Florida Atlantic (7-1); 10. North Carolina (7-1); 11. Creighton (7-1); 12. Colorado State (8-0); 13. (Tie) Tennessee (4-3) and BYU (7-1); 15. Miami (6-1); 16. Texas (6-1); 17. Kentucky (6-2); 18. Illinois (6-1); 19. Texas A&M (6-2); 20. Clemson (7-0); 21. Duke (5-3); 22. Oklahoma (7-0); 23. Virginia (7-1); 24. James Madison (8-0); 25. Ohio State (7-1) SEC basketball Monday’s scores: Alabama (6-2) 89, Arkansas State (2-7) 65; Arkansas (6-3) 97, Furman (4-5) 83 Tuesday’s games: Merrimack (4-5) at FLORIDA (4-3); George Mason (7-1) at No. 17 Tennessee (4-3); Georgia Tech (4-3) at Georgia (5-3); Mount St. Mary’s (2-5) at Ole Miss (7-0) Wednesday’s games: South Carolina (7-0) at No. 24 Clemson (7-0); San Francisco (5-3) at Vanderbilt (4-4); DePaul (1-6) at No. 21 Texas A&M (6-2)

Despite putting together was what a top-3 recruiting class, a handful of recruits committed to the class of 2024 decided to reopen their recruitments. Now, it's up to Billy Napier and the rest of the coaching staff to stop the bleeding and hold onto one of the nation's top classes.