Todd Golden, Gators among winners from 2023 transfer portal cycle
The 60-day window for the men’s college basketball transfer portal officially closed on Friday. In that time, over 1,700 players entered their names.
On3 national basketball recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw broke down the biggest winners and losers of the 2023 transfer portal cycle, including the Florida Gators.
UF coach Todd Golden and his staff were among eight winners in the portal, along with Georgia, LSU, Kansas, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas and UC Santa Barbara.
Florida has signed a total of four transfers — Iona point guard Walter Clayton Jr., Marshall center Micah Handlogten, Yale power forward EJ Jarvis and Seton Hall forward Tyrese Samuel — to join four returning players, led by starters Riley Kugel and Will Richard, and 2023 signees Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.
UF is one of only five schools with at least four commits in the top 175 of the On3 transfer portal player rankings, with the others being St. John’s (5), Arkansas (4), Georgia (4) and LSU (4). Clayton is the coaching staff’s highest-ranked transfer signee at No. 20 overall, followed by Handlogten (40th nationally), Jarvis (171st) and Samuel (172nd).
The Gators signed the No. 10 class in the On3 team transfer portal team rankings and boast one of the nation’s highest average player ratings (91.50). They are one of seven teams with a pair of top-40 transfers, along with Arkansas, Houston, Iowa State, LSU, Kansas and West Virginia.
RELATED: Transfer portal tracker: Florida Gators basketball roster updates
Jamie Shaw on Gators transfer class
Transfers in (4): C Micah Handlogten (7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks at Marshall), PF EJ Jarvis (11.3 points, 1.5 blocks at Yale), CG Walter Clayton (16.8 points, 3.2 assists at Iona), C Tyrese Samuel (11.0 points at Seton Hall)
“Micah Handlogten was one of the most intriguing players to enter the portal during this cycle. The 7-foot-1 freshman was the Sun Belt Rookie of the Year after finishing top 20 overall in D1 in rebounds (9.8) and blocked shots (2.3). Walter Clayton, a Lake Wales, Florida native, earned the MAAC Player of the Year award. He brings toughness to the guard position but also shot 43.1 percent from three and 95.3 percent from the free throw line. Tyrese Samuel is a 6-foot-10 grad transfer who has experienced success at the high major level. EJ Jarvis is a 6-foot-8 power forward who shot 40.6 percent from three and blocked 1.5 shots last season.”
