Florida transfer Jacob Copeland commits to Maryland

Florida wide receiver Jacob Copeland wrapped up his career in Gainesville on Thursday night playing in the Gasparilla Bowl loss to UCF. One day later, the former top-100 recruit has found a new home.

After entering the transfer portal on Dec. 9, Copeland went through the free agent recruitment while still practicing for Florida. The Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia product was a name linked to Kentucky as a possible wide receiver transfer for the Wildcats.

However, Copeland will continue his playing career in the Big Ten.

🐢 pic.twitter.com/BiZbF32wbg

— Jacob Copeland (@JCope1era) December 24, 2021

Copeland led the Gators in receptions (41), receiving yards (642), and receiving touchdowns (4) while averaging 15.7 yards per grab. Heading to College Park, Copeland will be a redshirt senior in 2022. Playing for head coach Mike Locksley and offensive coordinator Dan Enos, the transfer will be catching passes from a former SEC transfer. Taulia Tagovailoa made the move from Alabama to Maryland and is fresh off a strong season (3,595 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 8 yards per attempt).

Teaming up with former top-50 recruit Rakim Jarrett, Copeland is joining a passing offense that could post some big numbers next season.

Wide receiver outlook at Kentucky

On Monday, offensive coordinator Liam Coen announced that seniors Josh Ali and Isaiah Epps will not play in the Citrus Bowl after being involved in a car accident. Both players are ok, but the game against Iowa will give Kentucky a chance to work towards the future.

Wan’Dale Robinson still has an NFL Draft decision to make, and Clevan Thomas Jr. could return for a super senior season, but the Wildcats are very young at wide receiver. Last week, the Wildcats signed four high school receivers. Those newcomers will join Dekel Crowdus, Chris Lewis, Chauncey Magwood, and Earnest Sanders as players in their sophomore years or below.

To help fill the void, Kentucky added Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson from the portal, and the former top-500 recruit will be on campus for spring football as he heads into his senior season. The Wildcats are looking at using 11-12 scholarships on the position as of right now.

As scholarship numbers get thin, Kentucky will eventually have to make a decision this offseason. If Wan’Dale Robinson leaves, does Kentucky want to add another veteran piece to help a young group?

That is something to monitor closely over the next few months. However, two clear targets are now off the board as both Jordan Watkins (Ole Miss) and Jacob Copeland (Maryland) have found new homes.