Drake Stubbs, former Florida top-100 recruit, announces intentions for 2026
By David Wasson
Published:
The Florida Gators have been leaking talent to the transfer portal throughout the coaching transition from Billy Napier to Jon Sumrall but did get good news Thursday with the retention of an existing player – as rising sophomore safety Drake Stubbs reportedly re-signed with Florida for the 2026 season.
On3Sports reported that Stubbs, who played in seven games as a true freshman in 2025, inked a new deal with Florida Victorious – the school’s NIL collective. Stubbs is set to return to a secondary that will lose six defensive backs to the transfer portal when it opens Friday.
Stubbs played primarily on special teams this season. Stubbs recorded his first two career tackles against Tennessee and added a tackle against Florida State.
Stubbs was a 5-star recruit out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin High School. He chose Florida over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and many other top programs.
Florida has 27 players headed to the transfer portal – including high-profile talent like quarterback DJ Lagway and wide receiver Aidan Mizell. Napier was fired midway through his fourth season in Gainesville and was replaced by Sumrall, who coached Tulane to the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
