After losing a chunk of their 2024 high school recruiting class, Billy Napier and the Florida Gators continue to reel in the transfer portal additions in an attempt to make up for it.
Tulane safety DJ Douglas has committed to finishing his career at Florida. The move comes a day after his visit to Gainesville concluded, and he becomes the second DB transfer to join the Gators’ 2024 class.
Originally from Montgomery, AL, DJ Douglas signed to play for Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide out of high school as a preferred walk-on in 2019. Two years later, he transferred for the first time to Tulane, seeking playing time– and he got it. Douglas played sparingly in 2021 and 2022, recording 24 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups.
But then DJ Douglas really broke through in 2023, playing large quantities of snaps on the Green Wave defense as they finished as runners-up in the American. On the season, Douglas finished with 54 tackles, three picks and two defended passes. PFF says that Douglas played 478 snaps at either free safety or box safety, and an additional 170 snaps at corner. on the season. That means he best projects as a safety at Florida.
Right off the bat, his ability to make tackles jumps off the screen. In Tulane’s game against Rice alone, DJ Douglas was everywhere, flying all over the field and laying some vicious hits on opponents (click the link above for the game tape). Perhaps not coincidentally, Tulane won that game, 30-28.
DJ Douglas has also been noted for his intelligence and consistency as a tackler. Those things have been, to be blunt, not present the past few years on Florida’s defense.
So whether he’s going to be needed at safety, corner, or some combination of both, DJ Douglas is going to be a welcome addition to the Gators’ secondary. The Florida defensive backfield is going to lose a lot of pieces next year (whether that’s for better or worse) with Jalen Kimber, Miguel Mitchell, and Jaydon Hill all departing. On the other hand, the Gators also added former Oregon corner Trikweze Bridges.
The addition of DJ Douglas continues a busy offseason in the portal for Billy Napier. On top of Bridges, Florida has also bulked up the other levels of the defense, adding former Pennsylvania defensive lineman Joey Slackman, former South Carolina linebacker Grayson Howard, and former NIU defensive end George Gumbs.
