Number of Former Gators Back in Transfer Portal

After leaving Gainesville, some of these former Gators are back on the move

Some notable former Gators are transferring again / Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – While there have been some former Florida Gators to have found success these past couple of years through the portal, the same can’t be said for the others. 

With the transfer portal opening up on Monday, many Gators fans will have seen a number of former players re-entering with the purpose of finding a new home for the 2025-26 season. As of now, the notable former Gators in the portal are tight end Nick Elksnis, safety Kamari Wilson, offensive lineman Josh Braun, quarterback Max Brown and defensive back Jordan Young. 

Nick Elksnis

Coming out of high school, Elksnis was a three-star tight end from Episcopal (Fla.) High School. He committed to former Gators head coach Dan Mullen and the Gators in the early parts of 2020 and signed with them at the earliest opportunity. 

However, he wasn’t able to get anything going in his two years in Gainesville, which led to an early departure from the program and into the portal. His next stop after Gainesville would be in Columbia, S.C., to play for the Gamecocks. In his two years with South Carolina, he appeared in 13 games but did not record a single catch in any of these games. 

So, much like his previous stop in Gainesville, things didn’t pan out as he had hoped and now he is back in the portal looking for his final home at the collegiate level.

Kamari Wilson

Wilson was Billy Napier’s prized recruit in his first signing class for the Gators. He fought with Georgia to land the former five-star safety and it looked to be a great sign for recruiting going forward. 

Unfortunately for Napier and Wilson, things didn’t work out in Gainesville. 

While he appeared in all 13 games his freshman year and recorded 39 tackles, one pass breakup and one forced fumble, his sophomore year was way different. He only played in three games and redshirted. From here, he decided it was best to move on, so he packed his bags and moved out west to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils for the 2024 season. 

In 2024, Wilson appeared in 12 games for the Sun Devils, recording just 11 total tackles. With playing time being limited again, he opted again to re-enter the portal in the winter window.

Josh Braun

The offensive lineman originally committed to Georgia in June of 2019. However, the Gators never gave up in his recruitment, which led to him flipping to the Gators in December of that year. 

He would spend three seasons donning the orange and blue, appearing in 26 games before entering the portal. It wasn’t a surprising move though as he only appeared in two games in his final year with the program.  

Braun’s next stop would be in Fayetteville, Arkansas to play for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. With Arkansas, he was a Second-Team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press in his first year with the program. He then entered the 2024 campaign being named Third-Team Preseason All-SEC by Phil Steele. 

But with him putting his name in the transfer portal once the regular season concluded, I guess Braun feels that a final year in a new environment is maybe what he needs for 2025. 

Max Brown

Brown, like Wilson, was a part of Napier's transition class in 2022. He was a late addition to the class, as the Gators stole him away from Central Michigan. 

He was never expected to be an instant contributor for the Gators, which is why he didn’t appear in any games as a freshman. 

However, due to injuries and other in-game situations, he made six appearances as a redshirt freshman in 2023. He also made one start against Florida State to end the year. In this start, he completed nine of his 16 passes for 86 yards and one interception. 

Then, with DJ Lagway coming in and Graham Mertz returning, Brown thought it was best for a move away to become QB1 at another school. He entered the portal when it initially opened and not too long after he transferred to Charlotte. 

With Charlotte this season, he played in only five games, going 43-for-93 on passing attempts for 561 yards, three passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He also added 72 yards on the ground on 33 rushes.

Brown enters the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.  

Jordan Young

Young spent two years in Gainesville with one under the Mullen regime and the other under Napier. His first year with the Gators was in 2021 and he appeared in three games before redshirting. Young’s sophomore year was a step up from his freshman campaign, but not enough to warrant a stay in Gainesville in his eyes. He finished with 10 tackles, a pass breakup and one blocked kick in 10 games. 

After going through the recruitment process for the second time, he decided to join the Cincinnati Bearcats for the 2023 season.  In his first year with the Bearcats, he played in 12 games and finished with 34 tackles, one interception and seven pass breakups. Then, for this season, he played in another 12 regular season games. He bested his season total in tackles from a season ago by one, recording 35 tackles, and added five pass breakups as well. 

He now enters the portal with one final season remaining.