Transfer portal tracker: Florida Gators basketball roster updates
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With Florida’s 2022-23 season over, Gators men’s basketball coach Todd Golden and his staff are open for business on the transfer market.
The NCAA transfer portal officially opened on March 14 for college basketball and players across the country will have a 60-day window to enter their names.
“The roster is going to be important,” Golden said of this offseason. “We’ll kind of take a look at everybody that’s available and out there and evaluate and jump on the ones that we think can help us win and continue to build the program.”
The Gators have added four transfers since the season ended — Iona point guard Walter Clayton Jr., Marshall center Micah Handlogten, Yale power forward EJ Jarvis and Seton Hall forward Tyrese Samuel — to join 2023 signees Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. UF has also lost five players to the portal and a sixth, Alex Fudge, is declaring for the NBA Draft.
Here’s a timeline of Florida’s portal action and roster moves so far:
April 16
The Gators landed their fourth player from the transfer portal with the addition of Tyrese Samuel. The former Seton Hall big man took an official visit to Florida over the weekend and committed at the conclusion of his trip.
The 6-foot-10, 235-pound Sameul started and played in all 33 games last season, averaging 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 23.8 minutes per game — all career highs. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
Samuel joins Florida’s three incoming transfers, two high school signees and four returning scholarship players in Denzel Aberdeen, Riley Kugel, Will Richard and Aleks Szymczyk.
April 11
Florida has signed Lake Wales, Fla., native Walter Clayton Jr. As a sophomore at Iona, the 6-foot-2 guard earned 2022-23 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Year honors with 16.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and a .431 3-point field goal percentage.
Clayton, who was also a unanimous first-team All-MAAC selection, led Iona to an NCAA Tournament appearance on the heels of regular season and conference tournament championships. Clayton averaged 20.0 points per game in the 2023 MAAC Tournament.
April 10
Florida has signed 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten, the 2023 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. He becomes the program’s second addition from the transfer portal.
During his freshman campaign at Marshall, Handlogten started all 32 games and ranked 11th in the nation with 2.3 blocked shots per game and 16th with 9.8 rebounds per game. He also chipped in 7.6 points, 1.3 steals and 1.2 assists per game and shot .662 from the field.
Handlogten notched eight double-doubles to go along with 14 double-figure rebounding games. He posted a season-best outing against Coastal Carolina with 19 points and 19 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.
April 6
UF is hosting a trio of transfers on official visits in Marshall center Micah Handlogten, North Texas guard Tylor Perry and Providence guard Jared Bynum. Perry (No. 23) and Handlogten (No. 32) are both ranked in the top 40 of the On3 transfer portal player rankings, while Bynum is ranked No. 31 overall.
The Gators also have five-star center Flory Bidunga in town for an unofficial visit. The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Bidunga is a consensus top-five overall prospect in the 2024 class.
March 31
The Gators sign their first player from the portal in Yale transfer power forward EJ Jarvis. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward earned second-team All-Ivy honors in 2022-23 as he averaged 11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds during his senior campaign.
Jarvis, a Washington, D.C., native, totaled 507 points, 283 rebounds, 64 blocked shots, 43 assists and 27 steals with a .522 field goal percentage in 62 games with 27 starts for the Bulldogs. He tallied 19 double-figure scoring games and four double-doubles, including a career-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds vs. Cornell (13-for-18 FG) from the floor.
March 26
Walter Clayton Jr., a top-10 overall transfer in the On3 rankings, wrapped up his official visit to Florida on Sunday. Clayton will now take an official visit with St. John’s and his former coach at Iona, Rick Pitino. The MAAC Player of the Year will then decide between the Gators and Red Storm.
“It’s really just between St. John’s and Florida, to be honest,” Clayton said to the NY Post. “My mind is either going back down south or coming with Coach P.”
Yale graduate transfer forward EJ Jarvis also named UF as one of his top eight schools, along with Cal Berkeley, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Miami, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and VCU.
On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Jarvis keeping his recruitment close to the vest, preferring not to discuss specific details. He does not yet have a timeline for a commitment, but the latest update on Jarvis from On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw (see below) indicates the Gators are viewed as one of the teams to beat.
March 24
On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw provided an update Friday on that Yale graduate transfer forward EJ Jarvis. The 6-foot-9 player from the Washington DC area is currently the No. 5 power forward in the 2023 On3 transfer portal rankings.
The Gators staff conducted an in-home visit with Jarvis on Wednesday.
“From the beginning, sources have said to watch for Florida. However, some pretty heavy hitters have started to come around for the All-Ivy League performer. Programs like Miami, Illinois, Iowa, Georgetown, Ole Miss and others have reached out.”
March 23
One of the nation’s top transfers, Walter Clayton Jr., is set to check out the Florida Gators program. Clayton will officially visit UF this weekend, he told On3’s Joe Tipton on Thursday.
Clayton averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Gaels, leading them to a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He also led the country with a 95.3 free throw percentage.
Gators guard Trey Bonham became the fifth player bound for the transfer portal on Thursday. Much of his success on the court with UF was in the first half of the 2022-23 season.
Bonham transferred from the Virginia Military Institute after spending two seasons there. Now, he will look for his third home in three years with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In his lone year with the Gators, he played in 30 games with 13 starts. He averaged 5.6 points on 36.9 percent shooting, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 13.4 minutes per game.
March 21
Florida lost its fourth player to the transfer portal in senior forward CJ Felder, according to On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw.
Felder left Gators basketball team for personal reasons in January and returned the next month. Felder played an average of 12.5 minutes across the 2022-23 season, posting 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Wofford graduate transfer forward BJ Mack also named UF as one of his top 10 schools, along with LSU, Arkansas, Iowa, Butler, Xavier, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Michigan and South Carolina. He was the first reported player in the transfer portal to have been contacted by the Gators.
Florida’s coaching staff conducted an in-home visit with Mack on March 12. He is ranked the No. 40 overall player in the On3 transfer rankings. As things stand, Shaw’s sources say there is confidence within the Florida, LSU and South Carolina programs.
Ball State transfer center Payton Sparks also reports being contacted by the Gators, according to Dushawn London of 247Sports.
Sparks, who is ranked No. 57 nationally in the On3 transfer rankings, averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds this season.
March 20
Senior center Jason Jitoboh became the third player from Florida’s roster to explore his options in the transfer portal, according to reports Monday. Jitoboh has one year of eligibility remaining from his extra COVID season.
Jitoboh set single-season career highs in game appearances (32), starts (7) and average minutes played (11.5) in 2022-23. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds, both down from his numbers a year ago (4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds).
Jitoboh intensely rehabbed a season-ending eye injury in 2021-22 and returned to the court this season despite not having his full vision back. When Colin Castleton suffered a broken hand late, Jitoboh took on a bigger role and more minutes.
On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw reports that Western Carolina transfer forward Tyzhaun Claude has heard from Florida. He is set to graduate in July.
Claude averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds this season on 52.3 percent shooting. He checks in at No. 117 nationally in the On3 rankings.
March 19
On3 national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw reports that Yale graduate transfer forward EJ Jarvis has heard from Florida. The All-Ivy League Selection averaged 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this past season.
Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com reports UF is one of the latest schools to reach out to Bryant graduate transfer wing guard Charles Pride, who entered the portal March 15. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year.
Jarvis is the No. 30 player in the On3 transfer portal rankings, while Pride is ranked No. 49 nationally.
March 18
On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Temple transfer Khalif Battle has heard from Florida along with more than a dozen other schools since entering the portal. He averaged 17.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists this season.
Battle is No. 7 nationally in the On3 transfer portal player rankings.
March 16
The day after Florida’s 67-49 loss to UCF in the NIT, the Gators men’s basketball team lost a pair of players from their 2022-2023 roster. Wing Kowacie Reeves and guard Niels Lane both informed the staff of their plans to transfer. They officially entered the portal March 17.
Reeves, who was the first player to exit, averaged more points per game (8.5) and minutes played (19.3) than his freshman season, but started three less games (7) as a sophomore. Reeves had a few strong performances off the bench but was too inconsistent with his play.
Lane saw his role reduced significantly during his junior season. After averaging 15.2 minutes per game last year and making three starts, his playing time dropped to 8.6 minutes per game and he didn’t crack the starting lineup once. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds.
March 15
Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com reports that Florida’s staff has Temple transfer Jamille Reynolds on its radar. The 6-foot-10, 285-pound forward finished with an average 10.1 points, 5.6 boards and 1.0 blocks this season.
Reynolds is No. 63 nationally in the On3 transfer portal player rankings.
March 14
TCU center Eddie Lampkin has been contacted by the Gators, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds this season, shooting 54.7 percent.
Lampkin stepped away from the team on March 8 to deal with personal matters. Lampkin is No. 42 nationally in the On3 transfer portal player rankings.
March 12
Florida’s coaches conducted an in-home visits with a pair of forwards in Wofford graduate transfer BJ Mack and St. Francis PA transfer Josh Cohen.
Mack, a top-40 player in the On3 transfer rankings, averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds this season, while Cohen, who is ranked No. 63 nationally, averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.
March 10
On3’s Joe Tipton reports that the Gators staff has reached out to Towson guard transfer Nick Timberlake Towson he entered the portal.
He averaged 17.7 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting this season. Timberlake is No. 6 nationally in the On3 transfer portal player rankings.
March 8
On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Harvard grad transfer Chris Ledlum has heard from Florida along with 15 other schools. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season.
Ledlum is No. 8 nationally in the On3 transfer portal player rankings.
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