Florida Gators transfer portal stock report: D.J. Douglas

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The transfer portal has been open for a full week but the predicted avalanche of high-impact players entering hasn’t played out. While the Florida Gators have landed one player — preferred walk-on tight end Caleb Rillos — they are at the scholarship limit of 85 players. Florida will have to have players currently on the roster depart in order to add through the portal.

With the spring portal playing out slower than expected, Gators Online will go through the players the Gators added during the winter transfer portal. The

Analysis

Stock UP

Douglas comes to Gainesville with a lot of experience. The senior originally walked on at Alabama in 2019, taking a redshirt his first season in Tuscaloosa. He made his collegiate debut for the Tide in a game against Mississippi State in 2020 before transferring to Tulane that offseason. Douglas posted 80 tackles over three seasons with the Green Wave.

The biggest thing Douglas has brought to the Gators is his experience and tackling ability. He’s also a versatile player who can play safety or nickel. While he worked almost exclusively as a safety this spring, Douglas could move around in the fall if Florida needs him to. He’s a hard-hitting defensive back — Aaron Gates gave Douglas the nod as the hardest-hitting player in the group.

His experience and versatility helped him acclimate to Florida’s defensive scheme and he hit the ground running. While he may not earn a starting role, we expect that Douglas will see the field plenty this upcoming season.

Quotable

“DJ is a problem. You know, he comes in every single day, takes care of the body. That’s what I keep telling these guys about availability. You got to be able to be available to practice and play every single time. And so, you know, he does a really good job with his body and all that,” secondary coach Will Harris said of Douglas. “I mean, these guys watched a ton of tape with me. And that was another thing going back to Washington like, I mean, you’re talking about separating yourself, that’s how you do it. You watch tape and, you know, offenses give a lot of things away by formation, splits and things of that nature, and you got to be able to study and get it down.”

DJ Douglas’s career before Florida

Prior to Florida
2023 at Tulane: Played in 13 games with 12 starts at safety… Made 54 tackles (39 solo), three interceptions, two pass breakups and tackle-for-loss… Made an interception in the season opener against South Alabama (Sept. 2)… Had six games of five-plus tackles with three consecutive vs. UAB (Sept. 30), Memphis (Oct. 13) and North Texas (Oct. 21)… Career-high seven tackles (five solo) and tackle-for-loss in the AAC Championship vs. SMU (Dec. 2).

2022 at Tulane: Saw action in all 14 games… Recorded 21 total tackles (18 solo), had an interception and pass breakup… Had a solo tackle in the AAC Championship vs. UCF (Dec. 3) and the Cotton Bowl against USC (Jan. 2).

2021 at Tulane: Appeared in 10 games… Had five tackles… Made his Tulane debut vs. Morgan State (Sept. 11) and assisted on a tackle.

2020 at Alabama: Made his collegiate debut at Mississippi State (Oct. 31).

2019 at Alabama: No appearance and earned a redshirt… Joined the team as a walk-on.

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