Welcome to Gainesville, Elijhah Badger! (Photo credit: Calvin Stewart, The State Press)
There seems to be a legitimate Tempe, AZ to Gainesville, FL pipeline that just completed its construction. And Arizona State Sun Devil wide receivers are frequenting it.
Former Arizona State wide receiver Elijhah Badger– once part of the same wide receiver room as former Gator wideout Ricky Pearsall– is set to transfer to Florida. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Elijhah Badger chose to play for Billy Napier and the Gators over more than 20 other schools. Among them were some traditional powers, such as FSU, Michigan, USC, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Ole Miss.
And thus, the Gator receiver room just got a massive upgrade. With Pearsall having departed, and the Gators having little proven production at that position other than Tre Wilson, Florida has been searching for a big-time wideout to replace his production this offseason. Some have suggested that could come in the form of Aidan Mizell or Andy Jean taking a step forward in their sophomore seasons, while others have thought the Gators would target Badger– the top wide receiver in the transfer portal this cycle.
There’s a good reason Badger is the top-rated receiver in the portal this cycle, too.
The pure physical talent itself is ridiculous. He’s been clocked at just shy of 20mph in straight sprints, and he’s extremely elusive in the open field. He’s not the biggest receiver out there, but he’s big enough– 6’2 and 190– that his excellent ball skills translate to him winning a lot of jump balls in tight coverage.
And those physical traits have translated into results on the field. Badger hauled in 70 passes for 866 yards in 2022 at Arizona State. He came back in 2023 and again pulled in a healthy 65 passes for 713 yards before deciding that he wanted to play elsewhere.
You can watch some more of his highlights here.
Elijhah Badger is the second notable transfer to Florida in the month of May, after Cormani McClain pulled the trigger and returned home earlier this month.
