Florida junior defensive back Sharif Denson is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
A consensus four-star recruit out of high school, Denson made an immediate impact for Florida, playing in all 12 games of the 2023 season. He finished the year with seven tackles, 0.5 tackles for a loss and a quarterback hurry, serving in a special teams role and as a reserve defensive back.
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He made his first career start in 2024 against Miami, logging five more starts over 12 game appearances that season. He added 37 tackles (22 solo), two sacks, five tackles for a loss, one interception, one forced fumble, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry to his career total.
As a junior, he took over the starting role at the STAR (nickleback) position, getting the nod in 11 of 12 games played. He put up a career-best 53 tackles (39 solo), two tackles for a loss, a pass breakup and four quarterback hurries.
“Sharif Denson is — you know, when you go around the area and you visit different high schools, every coach talks about Sharif Denson and the competitor he is,” Billy Napier said after Florida signed Denson. “He’s a matchup player. He can play corner. He can play STAR. He is a competitor.
“We had a chance to observe him in the seven-on-seven competition. Obviously, both of his parents being University of Florida folks, (he) just cares about the place, and I think a very smart player that comes from a great culture there at Bartram Trail, he’s going to bring a lot to our team. Mature and ready to go. So, he is an early enrollee.”
Florida has lost 23 players (19 scholarship) to the transfer portal this offseason, including Denson. For an up-to-date list of players in the portal, check out Gators Wire’s tracker.
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On offense, quarterback DJ Lagway, running back KD Daniels, wide receivers Tank Hawkins, Aidan Mizell, Mike Peterson Jr. (walk-on), Muizz Tounkara, Eugene Wilson III and Jackson Wade (walk-on), offensive linemen Devon Manuel, Marcus Mascoll, Noel Portnjagin and Enoch Wangoy and tight ends Hayden Hansen and Amir Jackson are departing.
Defensive lineman Michai Boireau, Tarvorise Brown (walk-on), linebacker Grayson Howard and defensive backs Jordan Castell, Josiah Davis and Teddy Foster are also gone.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators football DB Sharif Denson enters transfer portal
