Florida football recruiting: QB Harrison Bailey, CB Micheal Caraway Jr. commit from transfer portal
Head coach Billy Napier’s slow methodical approach to the offseason bore some fruit for the Florida Gators over the last few days as three-stars quarterback Harrison Bailey and cornerback Micheal Caraway Jr. committed to join the program through the transfer portal. Their additions — both replacements for prior commitments — make it five incoming transfers for the Gators, which have 17 outgoing at this time.
Bailey will be entering his sixth season of college football having spent the last two at Louisville where he completed 72.7% of his passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns as a reserve in 2024. He played one year at UNLV in 2022 after originally joining Tennessee out of high school in 2020.
Though the well-traveled 23-year-old has never been an entrenched starter at any of his stops, Bailey has proven to be a capable reserve, which is precisely what Florida needed behind sophomore DJ Lagway. A former four-star prospect ranked No. 101 in the nation, Bailey will compete for the backup job with 2025 four-star signee Tramell Jones Jr.
UF previously had Charlotte transfer Deshawn Purdie committed out of the portal; however, Purdie asked for his papers to be rescinded before ultimately signing with Wake Forest where he believes move playing time will be afforded to him.
Caraway will serve as a key depth piece for Florida, which failed in its pursuit of multiple higher-rated secondary players this offseason. Like Bailey, he will have one year of eligibility remaining having played 30 games across three seasons for Southern Mississippi after beginning his career in JUCO at Southwest Community College.
UF previously had UAB transfer Adrian Maddox committed out of the portal; however, Maddox changed his mind two days later and committed to Georgia, presumably after receiving a matching NIL offer.
The Gators hope to add at least one more cornerback before the season begins with eyes on four-star Onis Konanbanny (Columbia, SC), one of the few prospects who have not yet signed with a program in the Class of 2025. Many prognosticators believe Florida will ultimately land the services of the long-time Tennessee commitment.
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