Napier, Gators react to players leaving during the season to transfer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After former Florida offensive lineman Joshua Braun left the team in October to transfer, UF coach Billy Napier called the move “an interesting decision” with it being in the middle of the season. For the Gators and teams throughout college football, things have only gotten more interesting this month.

With the Dec. 5 portal window approaching, players across the country have started announcing their intentions to transfer after the regular season to get a head start on the process. Many of them, like Braun, have also decided to leave their respective teams before finishing the year.

Napier is not a fan of the growing trend.

“I think it’s a shame sometimes when they do it before the season’s out. I don’t necessarily think that’s a positive,” he said Wednesday night. “It’s to be expected, right? I think we all understand it’s happening everywhere. To some degree, it is what it is. You just stay focused on what’s next and that’s all you can do.

“If it was up to me, I don’t necessarily think I would allow them to do it before the season’s over. I think there’s a respect for the game to some degree relative to I want to finish what I started. We’ve got some players that are doing that. We have no control over that, so we’re not going to sit around and worry about that.”

Since the loss of Braun, who visited Florida State on Tuesday, five more Gators have announced they will be transferring and three of them — Nick Elknsis, Trent Whittemore and Kamar Wilcoxson — left the team.

“It’s always tough seeing some of your brothers leave,” Florida starting safety Rashad Torrence II said. “But you have to understand that they make decision in their best interests, and we can only respect them. So, at the end of the day, we just wish them the best of luck — whoever it is, whoever it may be — and keep going as a team.”

Other players have told Napier they plan to transfer, he said, but will finish the year with the Gators. Napier added that he does not worry about the portal creating a dynamic where players have “one foot in and one foot out” as the season concludes.

“The majority of those guys (that are leaving) don’t play,” Napier said. “They have a role during the week. They contribute to our team. If I see a guy that I feel like is not doing his best for the team, we address that. We don’t have that problem out there right now. We’ve got a great group. Some don’t even play in the game. They just show up out there every day and do their part to help the team, help their teammates. Some play a minimal role on gameday, some have a huge role. As long as we see the players doing what they’re asked to do, doing their part to help the team, it is what it is.

“We’ve got players that have told me that they are going to leave but they’re not going to leave the team. They’ve got a certain level of commitment to that group and to what we started all the way back in the very beginning. I think as long as your culture is healthy it’s not a problem. If you’ve got great relationships, if you’ve got open and honest communication. One thing I do respect is players that want to play, that want to compete. … You’re going to have some players along the way that maybe they see their kind of writing on the wall and make a decision to move forward, go somewhere else. There’s nothing wrong with that. I think it’s healthy. Attrition is healthy to some degree.”

Florida starting center Kingsley Eguakun said there are pros and cons to the transfer portal but thinks it’s ultimately a good thing for players. He supports the decisions by Griffin McDowell and Whittemore, both of whom have already entered the portal as grad transfers. McDowell is still on the team while looking for a new school.

“At the end of the day, people didn’t just come to sit around,” Eguakun said. “If you need an opportunity, you can go somewhere and get that opportunity. So, I don’t see an issue with it. Guys, for instance, like Trent and Griffin, I love those guys. I’ve been with them my whole time here, so I’ve got no bad blood. Nothing towards them.

“I want everybody on my team that I love to be successful. So, if they gotta go transfer somewhere to do that, please be my guest. And at the end of the day, I say it’s good and bad because the good part of it is if somebody enters the portal from another school, we can get him. It doesn’t do nothing but help us.”

Unlike grad transfers Griffin and Whittemore, Eguakun shared his opinion on players leaving the team mid-season if they can’t officially enter the portal until Dec. 5.

“It depends. If you’re a part of the team we need and you’ve been playing a lot, then I don’t think it’s right to leave in the middle of the season,” Eguakun said. “But if you’ve just been sitting on the bench the whole season, why not get those conversations started, to be honest with you. But if you’re helping the team right now, like you’re playing and stuff, I think that’s outta pocket. I don’t think you should do that.”