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Florida Gators Host Speedy UCLA Transfer Wide Receiver

The Florida Gators are hoping to add a veteran deep threat in the transfer portal. They are taking a hard look at former UCLA speedster J. Michael Sturdivant.

Dylan Olive

Former UCLA Bruins wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant is scheduled to visit the Florida Gators this weekend.
Former UCLA Bruins wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant is scheduled to visit the Florida Gators this weekend. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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According to multiple reports, UCLA transfer wide rec J. Michael Sturdivant will be on the University of Florida campus for a visit this Saturday, another name added to a list of wide receivers Billy Napier and the Gator staff have pursued so far.

The Gators have been active in the wide receiver market since the opening of the transfer portal December 9th, looking to replace two huge contributors this season in Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike.

Sturdivant, a former four-star receiver who started his career at Cal, jumped in the portal just three days before his scheduled visit after a year riddled with injuries at UCLA. He appeared in just 11 games in 2024, catching 22 passes for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns. Despite having a down year, the redshirt junior put some plays on tape that show why he is one of the top available receivers in the portal.

In the two years prior to this season, Sturdivant had a combined 1,352 yards and 11 touchdowns, playing over 100 snaps each year. His best year came as a redshirt freshman at Cal, where he caught 65 balls for 755 yards and 7 touchdowns. Before his redshirt sophomore year, he was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, an award given to the best wide receiver in college football.

With the Orange and Blue losing possibly their best deep threat, senior Elijhah Badger, it is not hard to envision the redshirt senior's role in Billy Napier's offense. Badger’s absence will vacate 42 targets, 25 receptions and 605 yards on passes 10+ yards downfield, a place where Sturdivant thrives.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Sturdivant has not received a grade lower than 91 on passes 10+ yards downfield, averaging a 92.5 grade on 115 targets of such distance. Add that with a quarterback in DJ Lagway who is known as one of the best deep passers in the country as a freshman, and it is easy to predict success.

Now, filling the role of a player who was 5th in the country in yards per catch with an incredible 21.3 is no easy job, but a player with Sturdivant’s talents could most definitely take a Badger-like step after transferring over.

In his last year at ASU, Badger only averaged 11 yards per catch, a whole first-down difference than at UF. Sturdivant, on the other hand, actually had better yard-per-catch numbers than Badger at his last school, averaging 14.3 this season and 16.6 the year before.

Both players share a lot of similarities, and the potential of Sturdivant taking the same leap Badger did in his final collegiate season is exciting.

His potential goes further than just making plays on Saturday in the Swamp, as Sturdivant's athleticism and traits have put him in the eyes of NFL evaluators as well. Coming into this year, PFF’s lead draft analyst and UF graduate Trevor Sikkema ranked JMS 11th in his 2025 WR rankings on his NFLStockExchange youtube channel, stating he just “couldn't quit him.”

Sikkema mentions his great athleticism, even pointing out his 10.39 100-meter-dash in high school, as what sets him apart.

Despite the potential, there is reason for concern with Sturdivant. His production has gone down each year since his freshman breakout at Cal. He battled the injury bug this year, and there are parts of his game that still need to be worked on.

Over his career, he has had only one season averaging over five-yards of run after catch per reception, a surprise for someone so athletic. On top of that, his yards per route run may be most concerning. In his career, he has yet to have over 2 yards per route run, and each year this number has actually gone down for him.

Compared to recent success the Gators have found from wide receivers in the portal, this is a huge difference.

With any portal addition, there will be questions on how successful a player will be with his new team, and with Sturdivant the red flags are frightening.

Despite that, a receiver with true NFL talent, who is phenomenal downfield, and has production at the FBS level is someone likely worth pairing with a quarterback that loves to let it fly.

With him on campus this weekend, don’t be surprised if Napier and the Gators secure a target for their young quarterback next season.

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Dylan Olive
DYLAN OLIVE

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