Florida Gators in the NFL: Portal Kombat
The Transfer Portal is Great for Players, Tough on Fans
One of the few joys of watching Florida football the past two years was Trevor Etienne. He’s a generational talent who in my opinion was the best running back to play for the Gators since Fred Taylor. From this column’s perspective, I could not wait to track his progress as a pro in the National Football League in a year or two.
That changed Thursday morning when Etienne officially entered the college football transfer portal. My son Carter had been telling me Etienne was transferring for weeks. Deep within the algorithms of Instagram and Tik Tok, he’s apparently more tied into what’s going on with college athletes than any of us in the media.
Obviously not having Etienne in Gainesville is a devastating blow for the current program. Every time you think it’s hit rock bottom, the next day brings even more pain and sadness. Part of me wonders if his decision to transfer was made after this play call.
But the portal isn’t just impacting our teams and rooting interests on the collegiate level, it’s having an impact on how we follow the NFL as well. In Etienne’s case specifically, he’s a guy with the skills to be a great NFL running back on day one. I assumed Etienne would turn pro after next season, and upon entering the league, he would immediately be one of the best former Gators offensive players in the league. And if he stayed healthy for a few years, he would surely end up as one of the top 10 NFL backs in Florida history - Lorenzo Hampton with 70 career games and just over 2,000 career scrimmage yards is probably 10th right now.
Now not only will we suffer “what could have been” next year while watching Etienne rush for 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns for Ohio State or Clemson or some other school - gah, Georgia - we’ll have to watch him in the pros for years to come without being able to claim him as one of our own. That doesn’t mean we won’t root for him to succeed and do well - I certainly will - but the joy of seeing him do it as a Gator has vanished.
After writing about Fred Taylor’s Pro Football Hall of Fame case last week, I couldn’t help but think of him again today. Taylor split playing time with Elijah Williams his freshman year and with Williams and Terry Jackson as a sophomore and junior. It wasn’t until his senior season that Taylor was the undisputed lead back.
If the portal existed back then, would Taylor have stuck around? It’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison because Florida won three SEC titles and a national championship in Taylor’s first three seasons while Etienne has been a part of the first Gators teams to have three straight losing seasons since the mid-1940s.
What about Danny Wuerffel, does he stick it out after rotating with Terry Dean for Danny’s first two years at UF? Chris Leak saw Tebowmania coming before Tim ever stepped foot on campus; would he have spent his senior season someplace where he didn’t have to look over his shoulder?
All this said, it’s easy to understand why Etienne is transferring. He absolutely deserved more touches. There doesn’t appear much hope of winning anything in Gainesville in the near future. It’s great that he has a choice and can find a place to be happy, but it’s also ok for fans to be disappointed and hurt.
The portal isn’t going away and transferring is just part of the deal with following college athletics. Much like our parents and grandparents had to adjust to free agency in pro sports and athletes no longer playing their entire careers with one team, we too will need to adjust.
BEST PLAYER OF WEEK 13
Demarcus Robinson had his best performance of the season on Sunday, hauling in four of five targets for 55 yards and his first touchdown as a Ram.
It was a much needed explosion after Robinson’s eighth season in the league got off to such a quiet start. Through the Rams first eight games, Robinson played only 17 offensive snaps and was even inactive for a game. He wasn’t targeted once. This after he set a career-high with 48 receptions last season in Baltimore.
Robinson has finally earned the trust of Rams coach Sean McVay and is clearly developing a rapport with Matthew Stafford. He has nine grabs in the past four games and based on snaps, he appears to have moved into the wide receiver three role. The way the Rams are playing, he should add to his 17 career receiving touchdowns and move into the top-15 among all former Gators in that category.
BEST PLAY OF WEEK 13
Evan McPherson with the walk-off kick on Monday night.
It was his sixth game-winning field goal in three seasons, but the first since the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs in January 2022.
McPherson is having a very good season, despite hitting only 79.2% of his field goals - 25th in the league. All five of his missed kicks are from 50 and beyond including the 57-yarder on Monday that hit the crossbar.
GAME TO WATCH IN WEEK 14
Rams at Ravens, Sunday, 1:00pm ET
Not a lot of great games this week, but I’ll go with watching Demarcus Robinson back in Baltimore. D-Rob was the Ravens’ lead receiver last season, and he returns to the Inner Harbor coming off his best game of this season. The Rams offense has been hot, and this should be a great matchup against the Ravens’ vaunted defense.
RANKING WEEK 13 PERFORMANCES
1 - Demarcus Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Week 13: 4 rec (5 targets), 55 yards, TD, 38 snaps (59%), 9 ST snaps (27%)
Season: 9 rec, 107 yards, TD, 1 KR, 20.0 avg
2 - Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Houston Texans
Week 13: 1.0 sack, 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits, 41 snaps (68%)
Season: 8.0 sacks, 40 tackles, 12 TFL, 17 QB hits, 1 PD
On the flip side of the portal argument, we get to root for Greenard who transferred to Florida before his senior season and is now one of the best Gators in the league. He picked up his eighth sack on Sunday and is now tied for 16th in the league. He’s tied for ninth in tackles for loss and 16th in quarterback pressures as well.
Along with rookie Will Anderson, Greenard is part of one of the more ferocious pass-rushing duos in the league - and one that is only getting better each week. Even when they don’t get home, they make game-changing plays like this Greenard pressure that led to the game-sealing interception.
3 - Evan McPherson, K, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 13: 2/3 FG, Long 54, Miss 57, 4/4 XP
Season: 19/24 FG, Long 56, 27/27 XP
4 - Kyle Pitts. TE, Atlanta Falcons
Week 13: 4 rec (8 targets), 51 yards, 45 snaps (66%)
Season: 41 rec (68 targets), 492 yards, TD, 1 rush, -4 yards
5 - Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Week 13: 15 rush, 41 yards, TD, 26 snaps (38%)
Season: 129 rush, 382 yards, 2 TD, 10 rec (13 targets), 88 yards
Pierce scored for the second time this season. He generally looked the best he has all year, although the final numbers are still rough with just 2.7 yards per carry. He’s yet to have a game this season with over four yards per carry.
6 - T.J. Slaton, NT, Green Bay Packers
Week 13: 3 tackles, 1 PD, 36 snaps (54%), 8 ST snaps (36%)
Season: 39 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 PD
7 - Eddy Piñeiro, K, Carolina Panthers
Week 13: 1/1 FG, Long 23, 1/1 XP
Season: 19/22 FG, Long 56, 16/17 XP
8 - Tommy Townsend, P, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13: 1 punt, 57.0 avg, 56.0 net
Season: 40 punts, 48.1 avg, 42.3 net
9 - Zach Carter, DT, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 13: 1 tackle, 26 snaps (38%), 7 ST snaps (22%)
Season: 15 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 QB hit, 1 PD
10 - D.J. Humphries, LT, Arizona Cardinals
Week 13: 68 snaps (100%)
Season: 12 G, 736 snaps
11 - Kadarius Toney, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13: 1 rush, 6 yards, 12 snaps (18%)
Season: 22 rec, 139 yards, TD, 9 rush, 15 yards, 6 PR, 9.7 avg
Toney was limited in his first game back after missing one game with a hip injury. He had one rush for six yards, had another run for nine yards called back due to penalty, and wasn’t targeted with a pass from Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs offense continues to struggle, so the fact that Toney is barely part of the game plan tells you Andy Reid either doesn’t believe he can handle a larger workload without getting hurt or that Toney’s not a better option than the guys ahead of him on the depth chart.
12 - C.J. Henderson, CB, Carolina Panthers
Week 13: 1 tackle, 22 snaps (35%)
Season: 36 tackles, 1 sack, 2 PD, 3 TFL, 1 QB hit
Henderson was playing pretty well for Carolina but missed three games with a concussion. He was back this week, but so was Panthers #1 corner Jaycee Horn. Henderson isn’t likely to play much behind Horn and will head into the offseason looking for a chance with a new team.
13 - Trent Brown, LT, New England Patriots
Week 13: 43 snaps (67%)
Season: 9 G, 526 snaps
14 - Van Jefferson, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Week 13: 36 snaps (53%)
Season: 14 rec (31 targets), 164 yards, 1 rush, 4 yards
15 - Taven Bryan, DT, Indianapolis Colts
Week 13: 27 snaps (32%), 10 ST snaps (27%)
Season: 2.0 sacks, 17 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 FF
16 - Dante Fowler, Jr., OLB, Dallas Cowboys
Week 13: 15 snaps (22%)
Season: 2.5 sacks, 8 tackles, 3 TFL, 5 QB hits, 3 PD, 1 FF
Fowler didn’t record a stat last Thursday but was called for lining up offside twice.
17 - Jawaan Taylor, RT, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13: 67 snaps (100%)
Season: 12 G, 796 snaps
Taylor added to his league-leading penalty tally with a hold on Sunday night.
18 - Mohamoud Diabate, LB, Cleveland Browns
Week 13: 21 ST snaps (64%)
Season: 5 tackles
19 - Marco Wilson, CB, Arizona Cardinals
Week 13: 12 ST snaps (50%)
Season: 52 tackles, 4 PD
20 - Stone Forsythe, OT, Seattle Seahawks
Week 13: 6 ST snaps (21%)
Season: 12 G, 418 OFF snaps, 58 ST snaps
21 - Max Garcia, C, New Orleans Saints
Week 12: 4 snaps (6%), 4 ST snaps (13%)
Season: 12 G, 277 DEF snaps, 53 ST snaps
22 - Fred Johnson, OT, Philadelphia Eagles
Week 13: 3 ST snaps (12%)
Season: 12 G, 58 ST snaps
23 - David Sharpe, OT, Carolina Panthers
Week 13: 1 snap (1%), 2 ST snaps (7%)
Season: 5 G, 1 OFF snap, 15 ST snaps
24 - Kyle Trask, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 13: Active but did not play
Season: 2 G, 0/1 passing, 1 rush, -1 yard
INACTIVE
Brandon Powell, WR/PR, Minnesota Vikings
Bye Week
Season: 25 rec, 269 yards, TD, 5 rush, 17 yards, 24 PR, 8.2 avg
Jonathan Bullard, DL, Minnesota Vikings
Bye Week
Season: 1.0 sack, 35 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 QB hit
O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Buffalo Bills
Bye Week
Season: 12 G, 817 snaps (100%)
Gervon Dexter, Sr., DT, Chicago Bears
Bye Week
Season: 12 tackles, 7 QB hits, 2 PD
Alex Anzalone, LB, Detroit Lions
Inactive (Hand)
Season: 3.0 sacks, 87 tackles, 5 TFL, 9 QB hits, 5 PD, 1 FR
Marcus Maye, S, New Orleans Saints
Inactive (Shoulder)
Season: 2 INT, 1.0 sack, 37 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 PD
Amari Burney, LB, Las Vegas Raiders
Inactive
Season: 3 G, 13 tackles
Brenton Cox, Jr., OLB, Green Bay Packers
Inactive
Season: 4 G, 4 DEF snaps, 9 ST snaps
PRACTICE SQUAD
La’mical Perine, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Malik Davis, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Freddie Swain, WR, Miami Dolphins
Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Trey Dean III, S, New York Jets
Richard Gouraige, OT, Buffalo Bills
Jeremiah Moon, OLB, Baltimore Ravens
INJURED RESERVE
Keanu Neal, S, Pittsburgh Steelers
Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DB, Detroit Lions
Kaiir Elam, CB, Buffalo Bills
James Houston IV, EDGE, Detroit Lions
Justin Shorter, WR, Buffalo Bills
Jarrad Davis, LB, New York Giants
Ventrell Miller, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars