Florida football adds South Carolina linebacker from transfer portal

A few days after losing starting linebacker Scooby Williams to the transfer portal, Florida football addressed the position by landing a commitment from South Carolina's Grayson "Pup" Howard on Thursday.

A Jacksonville native, the 6-foot-4, 241-pound Howard appeared in 11 games as a true freshman for the Gamecocks in 2023, finishing with 19 tackles, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Howard was a four-star recruit out of Andrew Jackson High and a recruiting target of the Florida Gators before his decision to attend South Carolina. He was rated as the ninth-best linebacker in the 2022 class and the 115th-best player overall by 247Sports composite.

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Florida is in need of more experience and depth at linebacker to play alongside two-year starter Shemar James, who is coming off surgery to repair a dislocated kneecap. Tackling was an issue for the Gators throughout the 2023 season as UF finished 12th in the SEC in run defense, giving up 155.6 yards per game on 4.8 yards per carry.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Grayson 'Pup' Howard picks Florida Gators football after leaving South Carolina