Florida’s defensive line for the 2026 season just got bigger — way bigger, in fact.
Just a few minutes after CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer reported on Tuesday afternoon that massive defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo was transferring from Jacksonville State to Florida, Oyebadejo took to his own social media to proclaim how thankful he was to be heading to Gainesville.
The lineman who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 320 pounds, who is one of the best defensive linemen in the transfer portal, posted just a few very meaningful words.
“Let’s Work,” wrote Oyebadejo, with the ever-popular alligator emoji alongside those two words.
Oyebadejo is a very big addition, in every way, to Jon Sumrall‘s first defense in Gainesville as he tries to turn the Gators’ fortunes around in 2026. After spending the past 2 seasons with the Gamecocks, including an injury-ravaged redshirt season in 2024, Oyebadejo is taking his talents to the SEC.
He made his huge presence felt in 2025 after that frustrating start to his collegiate career in 2024, posting 43 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this past fall. Oyebadejo also showed an ability to be a force in opposing teams’ backfields, finishing with 6 tackles-for-loss, and showed his incredible versatility by also registering 5 passes defended.
Oyebadejo was also durable for Jacksonville State, starting all 14 games for the Gamecocks this season and being rewarded as an All-Conference USA second-team selection.
He also will bring a unique quality to Gainesville because he’s originally from Manchester, England, so while Oyebadejo isn’t transferring from very far, he’s come a long way to realize his dream in the United States and now in Gainesville in 2026.
Oyebadejo’s addition makes 11 players now that Sumrall has added through the transfer portal, with two of those players being defensive linemen, as Oyebadejo joins Baylor transfer DK Kalu.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
