The Florida Gators have made another significant move in the transfer portal.
The Florida Gators have made a significant move in the transfer portal on Wednesday, poaching former Kentucky Wildcats safety Cam Dooley.
Hayes Fawcett of On 3 was the first to report the news.
Dooley arrive at Kentucky in 2024 and barely played during his inaugural campaign, logging just four tackles and one tackle for loss.
This past year, however, Dooley's playing time increased, as he registered 30 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
A former four-star recruit, Dooley's stock has dropped a bit since committing to Kentucky. He was ranked a three-star transfer and the 60th-best safety in the portal, via 247 Sports.
As a recruit, Dooley was tabbed as an "athlete" given that he did not have a clear-cut position at that point. He was ranked eighth in his recruiting class in that category and was also the 15th-ranked player in the state of Alabama.
There is definitely potential for improvement for Dooley, so we will see how much playing time he is able to earn in Gainesville.
Cam Dooley. Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images.It should be noted that the 6-foot-2 defender is reuniting with defensive coordinator Brad White, who just joined Jon Sumrall's staff in Florida after having spent the previous seven seasons serving as defensive coordinator of Kentucky.
The Gators have been able to corral 13 incoming transfers thus far this winter, but they have also lost 31 players to the portal in the process.
That is to be expected with a head-coaching change, as Sumrall was hired to be Florida's new head coach at the end of November.
The Gators went just 4-8 this past season and have posted losing campaigns in four of the last five years, a dramatic fall from grace for the once proud program.
Further complicating things for Florida is the fact that it plays in the loaded SEC, so Sumrall certainly has his work cut out for him moving forward.
Sumrall split the first four seasons of his head-coaching career between Troy and Tulane, where he went 43-12. He even led Tulane to a College Football Playoff appearance this year, but ultimately fell to Ole Miss in a first-round blowout.
We'll see if Sumrall can get the Gators back on track in 2026 and beyond.