Florida Secures Transfer Commitment of Tulane DB DJ Douglas

DJ Douglas becomes the Gators' second transfer pickup in the secondary this offseason.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tulane safety transfer DJ Douglas announced his commitment to Florida on Saturday evening.

It’s a blessing just to be here 🙏🏽!!#COMMITED pic.twitter.com/BMzwpq204R

— Dj Douglas☠️ (@21TeamDj) January 7, 2024

Douglas claimed a spot in Florida's 2024 transfer class one day after wrapping up an official visit to the program. 

He's the second member of Tulane's 2023 AAC Championship runner-up squad to join the Gators this offseason, after the program hired Green Wave defensive line coach Gerald Chatman to the same position in December. 

A native of Montgomery, Ala., Douglas originally signed with Alabama as a walk-on from Thompson High School in the recruiting class of 2019. 

He transferred to Tulane in 2021 following two years with the Crimson Tide, joining the Green Wave on scholarship and working his way up the depth chart until emerging as a full-time contributor during his redshirt junior season in 2023.

Douglas accumulated 54 tackles including one for loss, three interceptions and five pass breakups in his breakout campaign, after recording 24 tackles, one interception and two defended passes over two previous seasons as a rotational defensive back for Tulane. 

In total, Douglas has made 40 collegiate appearances with 13 starts.

Douglas frequented multiple positions throughout his debut starting season. According to Pro Football Focus, he logged 277 snaps at free safety, 201 at box safety, 157 as a nickel cornerback and 13 as an outside cornerback. While he manned each of these spots the year before, roughly 75% of his snap share came at free safety.

His versatility could prove beneficial for a Florida secondary in the midst of a rebuild. 

The Gators lost 2023 starting secondary members, cornerback Jalen Kimber, nickel corner Jaydon Hill and safety Miguel Mitchell, as well as backup defensive backs Kamari Wilson and Jadarrius Perkins, to the transfer portal in December. 

Douglas is Florida's second defensive back transfer commitment taken to help fill those roles this offseason, following that of Trikweze Bridges from Oregon.

Find Florida's full log of transfer portal activity here.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated.  

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