Florida edge Jayden Woods is expected to withdraw his name from the transfer portal and return to play for the Gators in 2026, multiple sources confirmed to Saturday Down South.
Woods entered the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 2, but became convinced a return to Florida was in his best long-term interest after meetings with new Florida staff members, including defensive coordinator Brad White and new UF head coach Jon Sumrall.
Woods is considered one of the top remaining players in the transfer portal following a splendid freshman season where he registered 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, an interception, 1 pass break up, 2 quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery.
A host of power conference programs were pursuing Woods, who was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team, including Texas and Mizzou.
Woods’s return to Florida would mean that Sumrall managed to retain 5 of Florida’s most productive players in 2025, including star linebacker Myles Graham, receivers Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III, and All-SEC running back Jadan Baugh.
The Gators are coming off a 4-8 season, but there’s optimism about the future of the program following Sumrall’s hire. The Gators signed a top-20 high school class last month and already have double-digit pledges from the transfer portal.
Neil Blackmon covers SEC football and basketball for SaturdayDownSouth.com. An attorney, he is also a member of the Football and Basketball Writers Associations of America. He also coaches basketball.
