Emory Jones committed to the Gators, won’t enter NCAA transfer portal

After waiting in the wings the past three seasons quarterback Emory Jones finally became the starter for the Gators in 2021. But struggled right out of the gates and was eventually replaced by backup quarterback Anthony Richardson. Then a week before the Gasparilla Bowl, a report surfaced from Yahoo Sports that Jones would enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Spring camp started for the Florida football team on Tuesday and Jones is still with the program. He, Richardson and head coach Billy Napier met with the media following the first spring practice and Jones opened up on why he’s still with the Orange and Blue.

“I was really close (to transferring), but I mean, coach Napier and coach (Ryan) O’Hara sat me down, a lot of the offensive guys sat me down and basically said they went through my film and said they’re really excited about things that I have done,” he said. “They think they can make me a way better player than I have shown. Basically, I just wanted to give them a chance.”

Last season, he threw for 2,734 yards while throwing 13 interceptions and 19 touchdowns and completed nearly 65% of his passes. He also rushed for 759 yards and four scores.

Jones said he originally wanted to transfer because he wasn’t comfortable with some of the things that went on last year and wanted a fresh environment. But the news coaches sold their vision and he bought in.

He also watched some film of Napier’s quarterback Levi Lewis at Lousiana-Lafayette last season. The Ragin’ Cajun threw for 2,917 yards for 20 touchdowns and four picks while completing 60.4% of his passes. He also ran for 343 yards and five touchdowns. Jones became convinced that he wanted to stay after seeing how Napier used him.

It’s a nice win for Napier and Co. because Jones will bring much-needed depth and experience to the Florida quarterback room. Richardson should and probably will win the starting job in the fall, but fans should root for Jones because his love for the Gators is clear. It would be a remarkable story if he won the starting job and had a monster season after everything that he has endured.

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