Farewell, Diwun Black, and best of luck. (Photo via Florida Gators)
Florida linebacker Diwun Black has left the team and will enter the transfer portal.
According to 247Sports, Black was dismissed from the team. A reason was not given, however, Diwun Black no longer appears on Florida’s official roster.
Thus brings a sad end to a long, winding road for Black to live his dream of being a Florida Gator.
Black, a tremendously talented linebacker, initially committed to Dan Mullen’s second recruiting class in 2019, but was rerouted to JUCO due to grades. At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Black did everything right: he worked, worked, and worked to get his grades up, excelled on the football field, and two years later, graduated. He then decided to try again, and early-enrolled in Mullen’s 2021 recruiting class.
Getting on the field, though, proved difficult. Black did make a big tackle on a kickoff against South Florida in 2021, but his opportunities on the field from there were few and far between. When Dan Mullen departed, Black had another chance to win a new staff over. And to a degree, he must have, because he was trusted to be on the hands team for onside kicks- he even recovered an onside kick late against Tennessee this year- and did get some playing time against Eastern Washington. That, though, was about the extent of his minutes at Florida.
Florida has parted ways with a few players in recent days. Following the dismissal of Brenton Cox, a slew of other Gators decided to hit the transfer portal, including offensive lineman Josh Braun, wide receiver Trent Whittemore, and tight end Nick Elksinis. It’s all part of Billy Napier’s roster revamp.
But this one stings.
Black became a fan-favorite overnight for all that he had to endure to become a member of the Florida football program. He was always signing autographs for kids and taking pictures with fans after games. He was always smiling, always laughing, always making fans laugh. I’m not going to speak to what happened behind closed doors, but I will speak on the fact that when fans got to interact with him after games, they enjoyed his company. He made other fans enjoy the experience of being Florida Gator fans.
All the best to Diwun Black as he looks to continue his career elsewhere.
