Florida Gators offensive lineman David Conner to enter transfer portal

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•04/10/23•

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida redshirt freshman offensive lineman David Conner is no longer with the Gators football program. Conner is no longer listed on Florida’s roster. The transfer portal will officially open on April 15. Zach Goodall was the first to report Conner’s impending departure from Gainesville. 

Conner enrolled at Florida a year ago as a midyear enrollee. A native of the Atlanta area, Conner transferred from Martin Luther King High School (Decatur, Georgia) to Deerfield Beach High School High prior to his senior to acclimate to college but suffered a setback right before the season during fall camp. Conners suffered a thumb injury that required surgery and ended his freshman season before it began. He took a red shirt in 2022.

Conner will be able to enter the transfer portal this week when it re-opens for two weeks on April 15 through April 30.

Gators offensive line without Conner

The Florida offensive line has been dealing with multiple injuries this spring. Kamryn Waites will miss the entire spring. Baylor transfer Micah Mazzccua underwent shoulder surgery and missed most of spring camp. Jalen Farmer has been a limited participant in spring camp, while Bryce Lovett dealt with an injury during the first two weeks of spring. 

Despite the injuries and patchwork nature of the offensive line this spring, Billy Napier has expressed confidence in the unit.

“I feel good about (them), in particular, the new players have affected our team. They’ve improved our depth, and we are without Jalen Farmer, and Kamryn Waites. So I think young players; Knijeah Harris has become a factor. Been really impressed with Richie Leonard’s growth. Then obviously Kingsley (Eguakun) and Austin (Barber) and our veteran players. And then the other tackles, Kiyaunta (Goodwin) and Damieon (George) have done a nice job. (Jake) Slaughter has stepped up,” Billy Napier said Thursday after UF’s second spring scrimmage. “I think that group is — we have a chance to have a good unit. We just got to put five out there. We practice 15 guys every day. A lot of combinations, a lot of contingency plans. And one thing I would say about that group is they’re going against a much-improved front — taller, longer.”

The Gators will end spring camp this Thursday with the annual Orange and Blue Debut. The game will be streamed on SEC Network + with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.

Stay tuned to Gators Online and On3 to stay up to date on the transfer portal as it is expected to heat up this week.

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