Wednesday marked early signing day for college football, a day when young athletes can sign National Letters of Intent to play for the team of their dreams and universities can start to restock their rosters for next season.

The day had been primarily an avenue for colleges to bring in high school players, and it still is.

But the increased ability of college players to transfer has made the transfer portal a key way to add experienced talent to college teams, too. Some college coaches may prefer players who join their program with college experience. Transfers can announce their commitments to their new schools at any time after they enter the portal, which this year opened Dec. 5 and closes Jan. 18, 2023. A second period will be May 1-15.  But they must be approved and accepted for admission and meet academic requirements to enroll at the new university. The number of transfers a school signs will affect the number of high school players they add.

So far, Florida’s colleges with local interest have signed the following players for early signing day (listed in alphabetical order). Some teams included transfers, and others did not. 

UCF Knights

  • Kaven Call, defensive end, freshman out of Apopka High School
  • Jonathan Cline, offensive lineman, freshman out of Cartersville, Ga.’s Cartersville High
  • Keyon Cox, offensive lineman, freshman out of Phenix City, Ala.’s Central High
  • Jason Duclona, defensive back, freshman out of Estero High School
  • Troy Ford Jr., linebacker, freshman out of Richmond Hill, Ga.’s Calvary Day
  • Braeden Marshall, cornerback, freshman out of Lake Mary High
  • Ja’Maric Morris, defensive back, junior transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and Timmonsville, S.C.’s Timmonsville High
  • Isaiah Nixon, defensive lineman, freshman out of St. Petersburg Lakewood High
  • Tyree Patterson, wide receiver, freshman out of Eustis High School
  • Randy Pittman, tight end, freshman out of Lynn Haven Mosley High School
  • Grant Reddick, kicker/punter, freshman out of Orlando’s Boone High School
  • Dylan Rizk, quarterback, freshman out of Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons
  • Andrew Rumph, defensive tackle, freshman out of Palmetto High School
  • John Walker, defensive tackle, freshman out of Kissimmee’s Osceola High

USF Bulls

  • Deonte Bowie, offensive lineman, sophomore out of Blinn College and Pflugerville, Texas' Hendrickson High
  • Tawfiq Byard, safety, freshman out of Hyattsville, Md.'s DeMatha Catholic
  • Demitrius Carter Jr., wide receiver, freshman out of Lutz's Steinbrenner High
  • Kendall Dennis, cornerback, junior out of Oklahoma and Lakeland High 
  • Trey Dubac, long snapper, freshman out of Fort Lauderdale's Cardinal Gibbons High
  • James Jenkins, offensive lineman, freshman out of Tampa's Carrollwood Day
  • Jaylen Johnson, running back, freshman out of Baxley, Ga.'s Appling County High
  • TJ Lawrence, offensive lineman, freshman out of Fleming Island High
  • Jarvis Lee, cornerback, freshman out of IMG Academy
  • Nikola Milovac, offensive lineman, freshman out of Clearwater Academy International
  • Naiem Simmons, wide receiver, junior out of Wagner and Cherry Hill (N.J.) West High
  • Keshaun Singleton, wide receiver, freshman out of Norcross, Ga.'s Meadowcreek High
  • Cole Skinner, offensive lineman, freshman out of Point Pleasant (N.J.) Boro High
  • Stantavious Smith, defensive lineman, freshman out of Albany, Ga.'s Dougherty High
  • Lloyd Summerall, defensive end, junior out of University of Florida and Lakeland High
  • Weston Wolff, tight end, sophomore out of University of Maryland and Venice (Fla.) High 

Florida Gators

  • Jordan Castell, defensive back, freshman out of Winter Garden’s West Orange High
  • Kelby Collins, defensive lineman, freshman out of Gardendale, Ala.’s Gardendale High
  • Sharif Denson, defensive back, freshman out of Jacksonville Bartram Trail High
  • Knijeah Harris, offensive lineman, freshman out of Port St. Lucie IMG Academy
  • Gavin Hill, defensive lineman, freshman out of Gainesville Buchholz High
  • Ja’Keem Jackson, cornerback, freshman out of Kissimmee’s Osceola High
  • Kamran James, defensive lineman, freshman out of Orlando’s Olympia High
  • Andy Jean, wide receiver, freshman out of Miami Northwestern High
  • Roderick Kearney, offensive lineman, freshman out of Orange Park High
  • Bryce Lovett, offensive lineman, freshman out of Rockledge High School
  • Aidan Mizell, wide receiver, freshman out of Orlando’s Boone High School
  • Will Norman, defensive lineman, freshman out of Camden N.J.’s Eastside High
  • Jaden Robinson, inside linebacker, freshman out of Lake City Columbia High
  • TJ Searcy, outside linebacker, freshman out of Thomaston, Ga.’s Upson-Lee High
  • Bryce Thornton, safety, freshman out of  Alpharetta, Ga.’s Milton High
  • Treyaun Webb, running back, freshman out of Jacksonville’s Trinity Christian High School

Florida State Seminoles

  • Jaheim Bell, tight end, senior out of South Carolina and Valdosta (Ga.) High
  • Jeremiah Byers, offensive lineman, graduate student out of UTEP and Austin, Texas’ L.C. Anderson High School
  • Brock Glenn, quarterback, freshman out of Covington, Tenn.’s Lausanne Collegiate School
  • Lamont Green, defensive lineman, freshman out of Miami’s Gulliver Prep
  • Vandrevius Jacobs, wide receiver, freshman out of Vero Beach High
  • Darrell Jackson, defensive lineman, junior out of Miami (Fla.) and Gadsden County High
  • Jaden Jones, defensive lineman, junior out of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and Montgomery Ala.’s Park Crossing High
  • Keiondre Jones, offensive lineman, graduate student, Auburn and Callaway (Ga.) High
  • Quindarrius Jones, defensive back, freshman out of Meridian (Miss.) High School
  • Edwin Joseph, defensive back, freshman out of Hollywood, Fla.’s Chaminade-Madonna Prep
  • K.J. Kirkland, defensive back, freshman out of Jacksonville’s Raines High
  • Goldie Lawrence, wide receiver, freshman out of Sanford Seminole High
  • Kyle Morlock, tight end, junior out of Rome, Ga.’s Shorter University and Union County High School
  • Blake Nichelson, linebacker, freshman out of Manteca High in California
  • Andre Otto, offensive lineman, freshman out of Key West High
  • Ja’Bril Rawls, defensive back, freshman out of Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic High
  • Casey Roddick, offensive lineman, graduate student out of Colorado and Ventura, Calif.’s St. Bonaventure High
  • K.J. Sampson, defensive lineman, freshman out of New Bern High in North Carolina
  • Lucas Simmons, offensive lineman, freshman out of Clearwater Academy International (originally from Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Sam Singleton Jr., running back, freshman out of Fleming Island (Fla.) High
  • DeMarco Ward, linebacker, freshman out of Duluth (Ga.) High School

Miami Hurricanes

  • Collins Acheampong, defensive lineman, freshman out of Santa Margarita Catholic in California
  • Raul "Popo" Aguirre, linebacker, freshman out of Fayetteville, Ga.'s Whitewater High
  • Rueben Bain, defensive lineman, freshman out of Miami Central
  • Malik Bryant, linebacker, freshman out of Orlando's Jones High
  • Jackson Carver, tight end, freshman out of Connecticut's Loomis Chaffee School
  • Mark Fletcher, running back, freshman out of Fort Lauderdale American Heritage
  • Joshua Horton, defensive lineman, freshman out of Fairburn, Ga.'s Langston Hughes High
  • Antione Jackson, defensive back, freshman out of Fort Lauderdale Dillard
  • Chris Johnson, running back, freshman out of Fort Lauderdale Dillard
  • Nathaniel "Ray Ray" Joseph, wide receiver, freshman out of Miami Edison
  • Tommy Kinsler, offensive lineman, freshman out of Ocala Trinity Catholic
  • Samson Okunlola, offensive lineman, freshman out of Brockington Mass.'s Thayer Academy
  • Marcus Pulliam, linebacker, freshman out of Tyrone, Ga.'s Sandy Creek High
  • Kaleb Spencer, defensive back, freshman out of Life Christian Academy
  • Robert Stafford, defensive back, freshman out of Eau Gallie High
  • Frankie Tinilau, offensive lineman, freshman out of Miami La Salle High
  • Antonio Tripp, offensive lineman, freshman out of IMG Academy
  • Robby Washington, wide receiver, freshman out of Miami Palmetto High
  • Bobby Washington Jr., linebacker, freshman out of Miami Palmetto High
  • Jayden Wayne, defensive lineman, freshman out of IMG Academy
  • Emory Williams, quarterback, freshman out of Milton (Fla.) High School
  • Riley Williams, tight end, freshman out of IMG Academy

Other local high school players Spectrum Sports can confirm:

  • Cedric Baxter Jr., running back, freshman out of Orlando’s Edgewater High, signed with Texas.
  • Camp Magee, tight end, freshman out of Orlando’s Edgewater High, signed with Northwestern University.